The best road cycling routes around Argentonnay

Sturdy shoes and rain gear are recommended. Enjoy this walk.

The contemporary art center of national interest, La Chapelle Jeanne d’Arc de Thouars, is today a leading venue for contemporary art in the western region. Along with the Château d’Oiron and the Syndicat Mixte de la Vallée du Thouet, which runs a program of public commissions for contemporary works, the art center's work is carried out in partnership across the entire territory of the Pays Thouarsais community of communes and, more broadly, in the northern part of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. Within the region, the art center is a recognized player in the Astre plastic and visual arts network. Developing an artistic project that takes into account its geographical location and its architectural envelope, a neo-Gothic chapel, the art center maintains a privileged relationship with the heritage of Thouars. Guest artists, hosted for residencies or exhibitions, appropriate the chapel space by creating an original work designed for the venue. They also bring their perspective to the city, urban planning, landscape, and rural areas of the Thouars region and the Thouet Valley. Since 1993, nearly a hundred artists have been invited for residencies or exhibition projects. In recent years, the art center has paid particular attention to emerging artists from art schools, particularly those from the regional Le Grand Huit network. In addition to its programming, the art center also engages in outreach activities in the form of off-site exhibitions, workshops, and events (meetings, lectures, and workshops). A mobile device, La Mar(g)elle, was created in 2015 by the artist Marie-Ange Guilleminot to offer interventions in partner locations, particularly within schools and structures in the social and medical sectors. For its educational action, the art center benefits from the action of the municipal art school of Thouars, to which it is connected within the visual arts department of the City of Thouars.

It is from Place de la Solidarité, near the village hall, and in the light of a sunny afternoon, that visitors can best admire Courlay's church, firmly anchored on a hilltop, built in the middle of the village. It is squat and austere, like a fortress, a half-Gothic, half-Romanesque building whose square bell tower dominates the surrounding houses. Crossing the square, created on the site of the former cemetery relocated in 1900 and now adorned with a beautiful fountain where water cascades over granite chirons, note: the square bell tower with two small bays on each side (11th and 12th centuries); to the east, the large wall of the church's apse; on the north facade, a small rectangular tower resting on the bell tower and housing the stone staircase providing access to the bells; on the south facade, the turret topped with a slate pinnacle, the modillions of the cornice, a small door at the top of a few steps, and the Romanesque portal or main gate.

The Royal Abbey of Fontevraud is one of the largest monastic communities in Europe dating back to the Middle Ages. It is a place with a rich history, located in the heart of the Loire Valley and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The abbey is a unique cultural site! An abbey with a royal destination, a formidable prison is today a place of creation (museum of modern art).

The Royal Abbey of Fontevraud is one of the largest monastic communities in Europe dating back to the Middle Ages. It is a place steeped in history, located in the heart of the Loire Valley and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Let yourself be carried away by the magic of this ancient site and discover the Royal Abbey of Fontevraud, an architectural and historical jewel that will fascinate young and old alike. Thanks to captivating exhibitions, fascinating guided tours and a rich cultural programme, you will immerse yourself in the unique world of this abbey, founded in the 11th century and once a necropolis of the Plantagenets. Every stone, every vault, every corner tells a story... But Fontevraud is much more than a historical site... Broaden your discovery with a visit to the Fontevraud Museum of Modern Art, which houses more than 800 works donated by Martine and Léon Cligman. A prestigious collection that combines ancient and modern art, for an artistic immersion through the ages. Triggered? Find out more at https://www.ot-saumur.fr/en/abbeys-and-religious-heritage/royal-abbey-of-fontevraud-5344942/

nice village, with a nice restaurant near the church

The Royal Abbey of Fontevraud is one of the largest monastic communities in Europe dating back to the Middle Ages. It is a place with a rich history, located in the heart of the Loire Valley and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Troglodyte village to see during your stay on the Loire by bike!!! A bit of a climb to get to the city center...