Loudun: Holiday Apartments and Holiday Homes

Culture

The Collégiale Sainte-Croix was built in the 11th century by monks from the Abbey of Tournus in Burgundy. Those considering Loudun as a destination may wish to rent a holiday apartment.

The Collégiale Sainte-Croix preserves a Romanesque choir and murals dating from the 12th to the 14th century, and has served as a venue for numerous exhibitions since 1995.

The Musée Renaudot displays a reconstruction of a printing workshop with numerous presses and owns a collection of gazettes dating from 1631 onwards.

The Musée Charbonneau-Lassay is housed in a former 18th-century town mansion; its collections deal primarily with the history of Loudun. The Maison de l’Art Roman mainly displays Romanesque works, along with pieces from other periods of sculptural and religious art.

The Jardin d'inspiration médiévale features the medicinal plants from which Théophraste Renaudot’s “Polychreston” is composed.

History

The Tour Carrée was probably built between 1162 and 1185 during the reign of Henry II Plantagenet. It has been classified as a Monument historique since 1877; the tower is 31 metres high and offers a view from its summit.

Of the four gates that formed Loudun’s fortified enclosure, the Porte du Martray is the only one that remains.

Nature

The Sentier de Bellevues leads to the limestone hills around Loudun and conveys their geological and prehistoric significance.

Orientation

The Office de tourisme du Pays Loudunais in Loudun helps visitors put together an individual “carnet de séjour”.

Other places: Lussac-Les-Chateaux, Doussay, Couhé, Les Ormes, Ranton, Usson-Du-Poitou, Mondion, Vouneuil-Sur-Vienne

Back to the higher-level travel overview: Vienne.