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Nouaille-Maupertuis

Visit Nouaille-Maupertuis (Poitou-Charentes, France)

Nouaille-Maupertuis is a picturesque if rather sleepy little town situated in quiet countryside a little to the south-east of Poitiers. The main reason people visit is to see the impressive Abbey of Saint Junien that dominates the centre of the town.

Abbey Saint-Junien

The abbey is a roman style building constructed in the 12th century, and named after St Junien whose remains were brought here in 830. It was originally a benedictine abbey but later became independent.

The abbey was subsequently fortified during the time of the Hundred Years War and was surrounded by a high wall with defensive towers.

A good part of the original abbey buildings can still be seen, including the church and accommodation, moats and parts of the ramparts including two towers and two original doorways. Note that some parts of the building (including the chevet) were reconstructed in the 17th century after being damaged during the wars of religion.

The small stone bridge that you can see across the river replaced an earlier drawbridge, that from the 17th century allowed access through the fortifications.

Some of the other monastic buildings can also be seen around a central courtyard, although the buildings themselevs are not open to the public, while the town mairie is now housed in the attractive Logis Abbatail above an arch over the road.

Other buildings and monuments

Next to the abbey in Nouaille-Maupertuis a small medieval garden has been planted in an attempt to recreate the types of plants that were once grown by the monks, both for food and for medicinal purposes.

Battle of Nouaille

Historians will also want to visit the site of a famous battle in 1356 during the Hundred Years War in which the French were heavily defeated by the English, with many killed and and the French King Jean le Bon and his son were captured (they were subsequently released after the French paid a high ransom).

The battle also gave its name to the village - the English army won because they lured the French into an area of scrub, hedges and ditches that suited the English archers but not the French soldiers. The word for the rough terrain, or 'bad route' chosen was a 'maupertuis'. A memorial now marks the site of the battle.

Photos of Nouaille-Maupertuis

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Address: Nouaillé-Maupertuis, Villedieu-du-Clain, Poitiers, Vienne, Poitou-Charentes, 86340 || GPS: latitude 46.5094, longitude 0.415

Map of Nouaille-Maupertuis & places nearby



 

Highlights close by

See lots more places to visit nearby and a more detailed map at places near Nouaille-Maupertuis.
See Poitou-Charentes and Vienne (the region and department for Nouaille-Maupertuis) for more travel ideas...

Suggested tourist attractions to visit near Nouaille-Maupertuis, France

• Abbaye de Nouaillé-Mauperthuis (Nouaille-Maupertuis) - religious monument
• Laverré - remarkable garden (9km)
• Poitiers église Saint-Hilaire le Grand (monuments on French pilgrim routes) - heritage site (10km)
• Poitiers - town of art and history (10km)
• Eglise de Saint Maurice (Saint-Maurice-la-Clouere) - religious monument (15km)
• Vivonne - village d'etape (15km)
• Touffou - remarkable garden (18km)
• Futuroscope - theme park (18km)
• Chauvigny - recommended detour (19km)
• Eglise de Saint Pierre (Chauvigny) - religious monument (19km)

The French version of this page is at Nouaille-Maupertuis (Francais)