Geographical Location
Saint-Martin-de-la-Place lies between the Loire and the Authion, 10 km downstream from Saumur. The village is also located at the intersection of the Loire à Vélo and Authion à vélo routes.
Landscape
The Bords de Loire in Saint-Martin-de-la-Place can be visited freely and offer a panorama of the Loire. The banks of the Loire provide a view across the valley and the southern slope; the wooded edges of the plateau are also part of the panorama from there.
At the port, the wooden piles of the raised causeway are still visible when the water level is very low. They are dated to approximately 50 AD.
Water and Trails
Canoës Terre d'Entente operates a canoe base in Saint-Martin-de-la-Place, from which the Loire can be explored on the water. The offer includes trips alone, in pairs or with the family; they can last from two hours to several days.
The flat, 13.7 km-long hiking trail “De la Loire à l'Authion” runs between the banks of the Loire and the Authion.
Culture and History
The Prieuré de la Madeleine is the oldest building in the municipality. Its chapel was built at the beginning of the 12th century by Maurice Roinard, Seigneur of Boumois, as the private chapel of his château.
The Château de Boumois is classified as a historic monument. After its destruction during the Hundred Years' War, it was rebuilt by René de Thory between 1520 and 1530 further north, protected by the Levée. It was open to individual visitors from 1 July to 31 August.
The Benedictine Abbey of Saint-Florent de Saumur established a Blairie in Saint-Martin-de-la-Place, then known as Platéa, as a barn for collecting levies and tithes. A neoclassical manor house was built on the site of the former residence of the Saint-Martin Blairie at the end of the 18th or beginning of the 19th century.
For a stay in Saint-Martin-de-la-Place, you can choose to rent a holiday apartment.
