Route details
Description
More than 380 km of cycle paths including 80 km of routes open in Deux-Sèvres (31 km from Niort to Melle and 20 km from Melle to Chef-Boutonne). 300 km planned to Lake Vassivière, in Hautez-Vienne.
Not to be missed during your journey:
Niort and its Keep, Aiffres and its hosanna cross, Prahecq and its Saint-Maixent church, Celles-sur-Belle and its Royal Abbey, Melle and its Romanesque triad, Brioux-sur-Boutonne and its Saint-Jacques gate and finally Chef-Boutonne and its Javarzay castle-museum.
Safety instructions – Wearing a helmet is strongly recommended. I drive on the right. I respect the highway code. I check the condition of my bike (brakes and lighting). I stay on the marked trails. I respect the marsh, a sensitive and classified site.
Your itinerary
Step 1: The Niort Dungeon
On the banks of the Sèvre Niortaise, stands one of the most beautiful sets of twin Romanesque dungeons in France and the first building in Niort to be classified as a Historic Monument. It formed the central recess of a vast castle in the shape of a quadrilateral 1 m long. It was the King of England, Henry II Plantagenet, who, wanting to put in a state of defense the domains that his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine brought him through her marriage, decided to have it rebuilt, at the end of the 700th century, an impregnable fortress.
Step 2: The Hosanna Cross of Aiffres
The cemetery's hosannière cross dates from the 1889th century. It was classified as a Historic Monument in 2000 and restored in 99 following the storm of 12. Its square base supports four columns welded in a cross like church pillars. It measures XNUMX m. high and a cross the crown. Its oriented stone tablet allowed on Palm Day, the Sunday before Easter, the reading of the Gospel celebrating the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, then the placing on the pulpit of palm branches blessed with the song of Hosanna (Hebrew word meaning Save- us, please).
Step 3: Saint-Maixent Church in Prahecq
Built in the 1110th century. in a castle complex, it was returned in 1568 by Joscelin de Lezay to the abbey of St-Maixent, deprived of this property. Rebuilt at the end of the Middle Ages, burned down in 1911, then restored, during the Revolution it became a fodder and wood store and a ten-year temple. It was classified in XNUMX.
To see: square of the 12th century transept. covered in a reconstruction of flamboyant Gothic style, Romanesque capitals (mitred abbot, mermaids), episcopal crosier carved on the north buttress, altar from a listed altarpiece from the 14th century.
Step 4: The Royal Abbey of Celles-sur-Belle
The Royal Abbey of Celles-sur-Belle opens its doors to you.
You will discover its parks, insect garden, French garden and herb garden; the abbey church and its Romanesque portal with polylobed arches; the P. Certain vintage motorcycle museum; its 17th century buildings. ; the museum space; the Romanesque remains of the first abbey of the 11th century.
There are also music festivals all summer, concerts, exhibitions and activities; an audio-guided tour for a discovery of the abbey and its timeless church; hidden faces of the abbey to discover thanks to new digital tools; fun trails for families to discover the abbey while having fun; “Touch to See” to make objects tactilely readable by everyone.
Step 5: Church of St-Hilaire de Melle
Listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO (the only one in Deux-Sèvres), the St-Hilaire church, late 11th to mid-12th century, is located outside the city walls, on the Way of Compostela. It constitutes one of the most accomplished monuments of Poitevin romance.
Outside, the remarkable bedside with five apsidioles and tiers is bordered by the Béronne which was crossed by ford.
The north facade has around twenty original capitals where monsters, fantastic beings and plants of great stylistic finesse coexist. The sculptural ornamentation is abundant, such as Christ surrounded by figures in the southern interior portal, a rare arrangement in the region. As for the equestrian statue of the north side door, it would represent the Lord of Melle protector of his flock, represented under the allegory of the Emperor Constantine overthrowing paganism.
Step 6: The Saint-Jacques gate of Brioux-sur-Boutonne
Brioux-sur-Boutonne, a street town, is located in the extreme south-east of Deux-Sèvres, on the border between Pictons and Santons, on an old Roman road linking Poitiers to Saintes to allow the legions of Julius Caesar returning from Brittany, to head towards Saintes, the resting place of the Roman armies.
Near the Saint-Laurent church, the Saint-Jacques gate, an old bridleway and pedestrian gate with crenellations, was used since the Middle Ages by pilgrims on their way to Compostela. A gathering point and crossing of the “Boutonne” river, Brioux could accommodate the backgammon at the Saint-Léonard chaplaincy. Seven inns still existed there in the 18th century, including “La Croix Blanche”, near the church and “Le Cheval Blanc” with its stables capable of accommodating one hundred horses.
Step 7: Javarzay Castle in Chef-Boutonne
François de Rochechouart, nicknamed "king of Poitou", built in 1515, on his return from Genoa, one of the first castles of the Poitou Renaissance, on the site of a XNUMXth century fortress. Henri IV made several stays there. You can still admire the entrance pavilion and its chapel, a defensive tower with machicolation and parapet walk and the adjoining dwelling.
Today, he offers you an immersive visit to the land of geniuses through three eras: The Château de Javarzay, a sublime witness to the Renaissance in Poitou, the time of headdresses or the story of a woman's life in the 19th century, and finally the story of the inventor Jean-François CAIL. Come and open the trunks of time...