The Tour de Nuars stands on communal land in the centre of the village. It was built in the mid-19th century and served as a reservoir supplying the fountains in the château park. The connection between the structure and the water supply gives local history a practical, technical dimension: it is not just about the appearance of a tower, but also about its former purpose.
Church and sacred art
The Église Saint-Symphorien dates from the 16th century and is dedicated to Saint Symphorien. Its layout includes a bell tower with a porch, a nave with two bays, a transept and a choir with a flat end. A nave with two bays is divided into two bays; the other terms refer to different parts of the church plan.
The Église’s collection includes an 18th-century oil painting on canvas. It depicts the martyrdom of Saint Symphorien and is classified as a Monument historique. The subject thus reflects the name of the church’s patron saint and adds a specific work of sacred art to the church’s architectural features.
A description published in 2024 mentions a way to open the Église digitally: in Nuars, the “Sésame” app can automatically open the church doors after you scan a QR code and report your presence. If you would like to use this option, check whether it is available for your visit before you go.
Chapel and washhouse
The Chapelle de Bonneçon is a small rectangular church dating from the mid-19th century. Its furnishings include listed baptismal fonts, an altar, a 19th-century tabernacle, a Madonna and Child from 1851, and a 19th-century oak pulpit. While the description of the Église Saint-Symphorien highlights its architectural layout, the focus at the Chapelle is on individual furnishings and their dates.
The washhouse in Nuars was built on the banks of the Armance before 1835. This adds another riverside aspect of local history to the religious buildings and the tower.
Landscape and walking trail
Nuars is part of the Vaux d’Yonne area. This wider area includes forests, dry calcareous grasslands, meadows, bocage landscapes, waterways and caves. Bocage refers to a cultivated landscape divided by hedgerows, adding a human-shaped landscape type to the list. Orchids also grow in the dry calcareous grasslands of the Vaux d’Yonne.
The Brosse Berle, Circuit botanique et animaliers is an easy 3 km circular trail starting in Nuars. Along the trail, information panels describe the surrounding wildlife and trees. While the broad overview of habitats in the Vaux d’Yonne covers a range of environments, this trail focuses on two specific topics along the way: animals and trees.
Discover more destinations: Montenoison, Corvol-D'embernard, Chevenon, Arbourse, La-Charité-Sur-Loire, Moux, Vauclaix, Pougny.
For the full travel guide: Nièvre.
