and housing complexes as in Trécourt or in the southern part of the center. In addition, the municipality has launched a demolition operation, in order to demolish some buildings of the center, very dilapidated. History Education The village has a nursery school, a primary school, and a college. Population In 2014, the commune had 1,043 inhabitants, a decrease of -4.75% compared with 2009 (Saône-et-Loire: 0.19%, France excluding Mayotte: 2.49%). Places and monuments Maison des patrimoines: Ecomuseum and park of contemporary sculptures, inaugurated in February 2001. The ecomuseum is housed in a mansion whose older sections date to the 15th century (community ovens). The first owners of the estate were the family de Foutras, who used it as hunting lodge for its proximity to the forest. In the 18th century the de Foutras became the counts of Matour and Chateauthiers. After the family went bankrupt, the Marquis of Castellane became the new owner. He added symmetrical pavilions with high roofs. Les de Lachaume, a family of notaries and tax prosecutors, were the owners in the 19th century. They set up the property for hunting parties and established the current layout of the grounds. The Maison des Patrimoines has over 800m2 of exhibition space there, covering history, folk tradition, and the environment. Church of Saint John the Baptist: Built between 1863 and 1868 in the town's main square. Under the old regime it belonged to the diocese of Autun and the parish of Bois-Sainte-Marie. The construction of the present church was carried out under the authority of André Berthier, an architect in Mâcon. The bell tower of the church was struck by lightning on August 4, 1910. The church has a five-aisle nave with flanking collateral altars. The choir has an ambulatory without radiating side-chapels. Tourism One of the offices of the Office du Tourisme du Haut-Clunisois is located in the center of the village on the square of the church. Matour is the second tourist hostel in the community of communes, so it has reception facilities: guest rooms, group lodgings, and campground. A swimming pool was opened in the late 1960s and, during its modernization phase, was equipped with a solar heating system. Personality Caroline Otero (known as La Belle Otero), a famous courtesan of the early twentieth century, lived in Matour between 1939 and 1948 (her companion was a native of the village). See also Communes of Saône-et-Loire Dompierre-les-Ormes References