Loudun offers several ways to explore cultural history: Romanesque architecture, medieval building history, printing and collections about the town. A walk to the limestone hills around Loudun offers a different focus. When planning, it helps to distinguish between these themes: some places tell the story mainly of buildings, while others focus on printed works, art or the landscape.
Romanesque Art, Tower History and Town Fortifications
The Collégiale Sainte-Croix was built in the 11th century by monks from the Abbey of Tournus in Burgundy. Its Romanesque choir and wall paintings dating from the 12th to 14th centuries give the building two distinct art-historical aspects. Since 1995, the Collégiale has also hosted numerous exhibitions. Its long architectural history is thus combined with an established cultural use.
The Tour Carrée has a different set of features. It was probably built between 1162 and 1185 under the rule of Henry II Plantagenet and has been listed as a Monument historique since 1877. At 31 metres tall, it offers views from the top. The construction date is considered probable; its listing as a Monument historique is a separate part of its history, dating back to 1877.
The Porte du Martray also recalls Loudun’s fortified enclosure: it is the only surviving gate of the four that formed the enclosure. Together, the Tour Carrée and Porte du Martray offer two different starting points for exploring historic buildings: one is a tower with a traditional date and a view, the other a surviving gate connected with the former fortifications.
Printing History and Collections in Loudun
The Musée Renaudot focuses on the art of printing. It features a reconstruction of a printing workshop with numerous presses and houses a collection of gazettes dating from 1631 onwards. The workshop and the gazette collection offer different perspectives: one explores printing techniques, the other the newspapers that have been preserved. Visitors wishing to discover Loudun through its cultural history will therefore find a different focus here than at the Collégiale or the historic buildings.
The Musée Charbonneau-Lassay is housed in a former 18th-century hôtel particulier. Its collections deal mostly with the history of Loudun. Here, a historic building and a locally focused collection come together. The Maison de l’Art Roman, by contrast, focuses on art: it displays mostly Romanesque works, supplemented by pieces from other periods of sculpture and religious art. Romanesque art is clearly the main focus, but it is not the only period represented.
From Medicinal Plants to the Limestone Hills
The Jardin d'inspiration médiévale displays medicinal plants used to make Théophraste Renaudot’s “Polychreston.” The garden thus connects plants with a specific work; its theme differs from both the art collections and the printing workshop. The Sentier de Bellevues leads to the limestone hills around Loudun and conveys their geological and prehistoric significance. It complements the town’s cultural themes with a view of the landscape and its history.
Plan Your Stay
The Office de tourisme du Pays Loudunais in Loudun helps visitors put together a personalised “carnet de séjour.” This can help you find your way if you want to prioritise different themes during your stay. The sights offer clear distinctions to guide you: sacred architecture and wall paintings, printing history, local collections, Romanesque art, or the geological and prehistoric significance of the limestone hills. This lets you explore Loudun according to your own cultural interests without combining its different themes into a single one.
Discover more destinations: Le Vigeant, Chapelle-Viviers, Magné, Curzay-Sur-Vonne, Savigny-Sous-Faye, Saint-Savin, Béthines, Morton.
See the overview of the wider travel region: Vienne.
