No ancient source mentioning Riothamus places him anywhere near Avallon and Geoffrey of Monmouth, who is the first to mention "the isle of Avalon" (Latin insula Auallonis) and based his description of the isle on Classical descriptions of the Fortunate Isles, is explicit that it was an island in the western seas. In Geoffrey's day (and, indeed, going all the way back to geographers of antiquity), the Fortunate Isles were identified with the Canary Islands. Population Sights Its chief building, the formerly collegiate church of Saint-Lazare, dates from the twelfth century, on an earlier foundation dedicated to Notre Dame. Vestiges of the earlier church were revealed beneath the high altar in an excavation of 1861. The acquisition of a relic of Saint Lazare prompted its rededication: Saint Ladre is attested in the fourteenth century. It was the seat of an archdeaconate answering to the bishop of Autun. The two western portals are densely adorned with sculpture in the Romanesque style; the tower on the left of the facade was rebuilt in the seventeenth century. The Tour de l'Horloge, pierced by a gateway through which passes the Grande Rue, is an eleventh-century structure containing a museum on its second floor. Remains of the ancient fortifications, including seven of the flanking towers, are still to be seen. Avallon has a statue of Vauban, the military engineer of Louis XIV. Economy As of the early 20th century, the manufacture of biscuits and gingerbread, and the leather and farm implements supported the economy in Avallon, and there was considerable traffic on wood, wine, and the live-stock and agricultural produce in the surrounding country. Miscellaneous As of the early 20th century, the public institutions included the subprefecture, a tribunal of first instance, and a départemental college. Twin towns Avallon is twinned with: Pepinster, Belgium Cochem, Germany Tenterden, United Kingdom Saku, Japan See also Communes of the Yonne department Parc naturel régional du Morvan Notes References Attribution: Further reading External links Medieval Zodiac Signs plus Monthly Labours from l'église Saint-Lazare, Avallon Island of Avallon , French Avalon website Avallon page on the site Bourgogne Romane Communes of Yonne Subprefectures in France Burgundy