Charroux

Charroux is a small town (a Canton or Chef-lieu) in the District of Montmorilon in the Department of Vienne in the Region of Poitou-Charante in France. It is called The City of Treasures where Charlemagne laid the foundations of a famous abbey: the Abbey of St Sauveur (one of the high places of medieval Christendom). At one time it was rich and famous and these riches are now said to be hidden in the old abbey and crypts and a multitude of secret places of which at least seventy five are named in chronicles. The abbey is also associated with the 989 Council of Peace. These were the first prescriptions of the Church to protect innocents from medieval battles.

The abbey lived through the Hundred Years War, the French Revolution and many religious wars. In 1790 the ruined abbey was sold as a national possession. Today the remains are being preserved. I have been visiting the area since 2001 and still haven't investigated further. I really must make that a target for my next visit.

Today Charroux is a quiet little town with a population of about 1200. In the centre it has two boulangeries (bread/pastry shops), a pharmacy, a small grocery shop, two hotels a few bar/cafés and some other agriculturally related businesses and services. It also has a road bypass making the centre a very much more pleasant place.

The abbey tower from the church

The Bar de L'Abbaye

The abbey tower remains helping to demonstrate the claim that this abbey was one of the most impressive in the western world.

The Bar de la Tour with Sue and her mother where we were having coffee on a dull and misty morning

The tourism office with the post office in the background (If you've had a post card from me there's a sporting chance the stamps were bought here and it was probably posted here too).

And finally one to appeal to Adrian and to Katherine who (if I am not living in my usual cloud cuckoo land) mentioned chilled Guinness recently