Circuit cyclable 2 – St-Hilaire-la-Palud/Arçais/St-Georges-de-Rex

Step 2: The black locust

The commune of Saint Hilaire is half made up of “wild” marshes, less wild since the development work of the 2006th century. At that time, Saint Hilaire had a very active tile industry which exploited clay from the marsh (bri). On the Town Hall Square, a century-old “Acacia” locust tree and a very young one planted in XNUMX for the first gathering of “Saint Hilaire” trees in France.

Step 3: Port of Montfaucon

Monfaucon, an islet inhabited since the Celtic era (discovery of bronze axes), was in the Middle Ages the seat of the lordship of the canons of Saint-Hilaire-le-Grand of Poitiers. Its main artery is Rue de la Venise Verte and the Montfaucon pier corresponds to the old municipal port partly developed during the Major Works of the Marais Poitevin. The village still retains a small rural heritage (bread oven, ponne, boulite, queue de bac, etc.).

Step 4: Old tile factory

The tiles were made from clay extracted in the fall and transported by boats. The clay was then stored throughout the winter to be drained. In the spring, after a long mixing process, it was completely shaped by hand to take the shape of tiles. These were then dried on shelves for several weeks before finally being cooked. The modernization of the marsh tile factories was not enough to resist the large industrial groups. The last workshops closed in the 1980s.

Step 5: The Ornithological Park “Birds of the Marais Poitevin”

A short detour to the Ornithological Park. It is a natural space of 8 ha, in the heart of the wild marsh, in which more than 70 species of birds from the Marais Poitevin and domestic animals created in Poitou are presented. To help you recognize them, information panels and introductory ornithology modules are available along the discovery trail. Also learn to recognize the wild trees and plants of the wet marsh. At the end of the visit, a film will take you over the landscapes of the Marais Poitevin and you will discover the birds of this region in their intimacy. A labyrinth awaits you punctuated with educational panels on migration.

Step 6: The Port of Arçais

The Grand Port of Arçais, completely restored, was one of the main places of exchange between the plain and the Sèvre Niortaise valley. Two wooden cranes remind us that in the past the trunks of poplars, transported by water, were hoisted onto the bank.

Step 7: The old house

The old house is in fact a Napoleonic residence built in 1829 by a former officer of Napoleon. He preferred to build his house on the port for his access to the marshes, which allowed him to store wine, wood, mogettes and other goods. This period was prosperous and trade intense.
But, above all, he wanted to give the inhabitants of the village center the benefit of his lodges which he rented at a low price in order to store tools and goods there. In fact, they were not lucky enough to have direct access to water, so this was of great service to them. However, he reserved two boxes for the post office which allowed the maintenance of the equipment and the rest of the horses.

Step 8: Saint-Cyr Church

In 1620, René Goulard donated the site on which the sanctuary was built: at the top of the highest point in the town (5 m.). It was rebuilt in the XNUMXth century. in the other direction, in the neo-Gothic style.

Step 9: Arçais Tourist Office

Step 10: The port of Saint-Georges-de-Rex

The port of Saint-Georges-de-Rex is the only one not established on the edge of the hillside. The harbor and its access channel (Rimonboeuf channel), entirely dug in the limestone from 1850 to 1870 to approach the dock as close as possible to the village and the town with 150 hectares of marshland, are connected to the Chail canal and the Grande Rigole de La Garette, towards Coulon, Marans or Niort. It is made up of a gently sloping paved slipway, cut stone quays with two access points and a high masonry spillway helping to maintain water in the port. The natural light bulb port is restored as part of the Major Works of the Marais Poitevin.

Step 11: Washhouse of the large fountain

The discovery tour of the Saint-Georges-de-Rex washhouses is a journey through time recalling these convivial places where the women of the village met exclusively to rinse their laundry and chat.
The Grande Fontaine wash house, located in the village, in the eponymous street, is fed by a spring with a hand fountain and located along the road. Its open-air basin is quadrangular and has a cutaway to adapt to the plot and the road.

Step 12: Saint-Georges Church

The building was built in 1882 thanks to the sale of part of the municipal marsh and with the stones of the old priory church which was located at a place called Le Prieuré (conservation of the polychrome wooden tabernacle from the 1781th century (*) and the bell of 32). Its 24 meter high bell tower, struck by lightning on December 1945, 1948, was restored in 1999, then hit again by the storm of XNUMX.
Unusual: a hand-cranked winch whose chain was once stretched to the 2nd bay of the bell tower to dry the firefighters' leather hoses, without twisting them. (*) Rehabilitated in 2017 thanks in part to the community heritage fund of the Niortais Urban Community.

Step 13: “From Rooster to Donkey” Park

Discover an eco-responsible 7ha park, fun and accessible to all. An unforgettable 2-hour adventure, complete with games and entertainment. A journey strewn with puzzles to solve, using the “Adventurer’s Notebook”, for children.
Discover the local breeds of the Marais Poitevin (such as the Baudet du Poitou, the Poitou barnyard, etc.) and various unusual animals (Highland cows, Mangalitza pigs, Alpacas, miniature animals, etc.)!

Step 14: Saint-Jacques Church

The church dates from 1778. The interior of the building was renovated in the 1980s, and has a wooden vault. The plan is based on a single nave ending in a cul-de-four apse.