Heritage and culture

Depart from the town of Montmorillon, latitude 46.4256500 (N 46° 25’ 32”), longitude 0.8683100 (E 0° 52’ 6”)

• Departure tourist office

• Starting from the Tourist Office, where we will have
• took care to bring a plan and the key of the Sainte-Catherine crypt and the Octagon - to linger first, place du Maréchal-Leclerc, to Claude Pacaud's painting studio, then take
• the rue du Vieux-Pont www.pacaud-claude.com/ and the workshop and gallery of creations decorated glass Sharon Cox: http://glassart.fr/

• The Buisson alley

• then take rue du Vieux-Pont. In this street, before the bridge, go down Venelle Buisson, on the left. It leads to the river from which one has a very good point of view to photograph the Old Bridge and the church Notre-Dame. Note on the front of the last house on the right before the bridge the sculpture of the 11th or 12th century. representing the Archangel Gabriel.
• Pass the Old Bridge (15th century) without forgetting to take a picture of the Old Palace, on the right, and to notice the remains of the medieval fortifications on the bank opposite. Before climbing Montebello street, see, on the left, the cellar entrance with its broken arches (13th century), probably belonging to one of the oldest houses in the city.

• Montebello Street

• Begin the climb of Montebello Street where begins the City of Writing. It is the oldest district of Montmorillon, where the city was born. The creation of the City of Writing in 2000 allowed its rehabilitation with shops painted in the colors used may be in the Middle Ages and some (right rising) are dug in the rock.

• Statue of the Virgin - motte castrale

• On the other side of Montebello Street, facing
• the church, another statue of the Virgin stands on a tower erected in the nineteenth century. on the mound castrale where was built in the Middle Ages castle now disappeared.

• Booksellers and artisans

• When leaving the church, to discover the various shops (booksellers and craftsmen), turn left at the end of Montebello street to arrive at the square.
• Old Market.

• Rue de la poelerie

• Turn right, Rue de la Poëlerie, go up Rue Bernard Harent on the left.

• The Preface and the adventure of the typewriter and calculator

• The Preface, point Home of the City, and The Adventure of the typewriter and calculator, permanent exhibition of very old and rare machines.
• (http://machines-a-ecrire.fr/)

• Champien Street

• We arrived at rue Champien where we will find other shops to visit.

• Saint Denis Street
• The house of God

• As the visit to the Cité de l'Ecrit is over, take rue Château-Gaillard then rue du Séminaire to arrive at Place des Augustins. We end here on the beautiful set of the House God. To see: the chapel Saint-Laurent, its remarkable murals of the nineteenth century and a slab that recalls that was buried in this chapel, Etienne de Vignolles, said "La Hire" faithful companion of Joan of Arc and Lord of Montmorillon; the defense tower, remains of the fortifications of the fourteenth century. ; the Octagon, former funeral chapel of the 12th century, unique in this form in Romanesque Europe; the barn of the Tithe (17th century) near the Octagon; the 17th century heating room, the imposing monastic buildings of the 17th century. which dominate the city from the top of beautiful gardens and a vast meadow landscaped with a green theater. All this is an exceptional listed historical monument, closed to visit.Only the Octagon and Chapel Saint-Laurent are open during the summer.
• Information: www.abbaye-saint-savin.fr

• Rue des Echelles

• We can go back down the rue des Echelles, take directly across the stairs along the house the few steps that lead to the rue Fontaine de l'Ecole to return to the Vieux-Pont. You will then go by an old laundry, not visible from the street, you have to go down to the river. From there you will have a beautiful view (photo) on the old bridge and the Gartempe.