Saint-Patrice combines a rich church history with archaeological findings, a wine tasting by appointment and two routes. This offers a choice of different focuses when planning: architectural history, wine, or a cycling and walking stage with specified distances.
Church and Historical Traces
The first church in Saint-Patrice was associated with a priory community founded around 1032. Archambault had given the church and land to the Abbey of Noyers so that people could settle there. The Romanesque church has a large, single-nave, unvaulted nave, typical of 11th-century regional architecture. At the beginning of the 12th century, it was extended with a square chancel with thicker walls. In the 13th century, a bell-tower porch was added at the entrance to the Romanesque church, which was formerly covered by a rib vault. A single-nave church has one main space without side aisles.
The church used for services today was built in 1849 and consecrated on April 9, 1850. High-quality, recently restored stained-glass windows adorn it; most bear the signatures of the glass painters Lobin or Fournier. The church is also known for its excellent acoustics.
The cemetery in Saint-Patrice contains the burial chapel of the de Castellane family.
The Château de Rochecotte in Saint-Patrice belonged to the Duchess of Dino. She spent some of her best years there, far from the bustle of Paris.
The finds from the necropolis of Saint-Patrice date from the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. A square walled enclosure was uncovered at the necropolis. The findings include both inhumation burials and cremation burials.
Wine, Routes and Getting There
Domaine Omasson Nathalie offers wine tastings at the estate in Saint-Patrice. Advance booking is required, so plan your tasting for an agreed appointment.
The “Circuit vélo n°31” is a 24-kilometre road cycling route with a stated duration of 2 hours and 30 minutes. The Château de Rochecotte is one of the sights along this route in Saint-Patrice.
The long-distance Chemin de l'été de Saint-Martin walking trail includes a stage from Saint-Patrice to Langeais. It is 10.8 kilometres long, with a stated duration of 3 hours and 30 minutes.
Comparing the times, the cycling route is longer but has a shorter stated duration; for the walking stage, the reverse is true. It is therefore worth considering the distance and stated time together when planning. Check route conditions before setting off.
According to SNCF, trains from Saint-Patrice station run to Tours and Angers Saint-Laud. Check departure times before travelling.
Discover more destinations: Bourgueil, Tauxigny, Neuillé-Le-Lierre, Saint-Quentin-Sur-Indrois, Montlouis-Sur-Loire, Gizeux, Genillé, Louestault.
For the broader travel overview: Indre-Et-Loire.
