Step 1: Vallans
On the edge of the Marais Poitevin, the commune nestles in the Courance valley. The seigneury was first mentioned in 1093. During the siege of Frontenay in 1242, Louis IX slept in the local priory. An altar is dedicated to him in the church where he is said to have come to pray, and the main street in the village is named rue St-Louis in memory of this royal visit. In 2018, the commune was awarded the "Territoire bio engagé" (Committed Organic Territory) label for having achieved 29.45 % of its usable agricultural area in organic production. Located on the GR 36, the commune offers three walking trails and is preparing a discovery trail of the village. Similarly, the Départementale 1, which runs through the village, is very popular with regional cyclo-tourists.
Step 2: Église Notre-Dame
In the Middle Ages, the parish was part of the diocese of Saintes and the archpriesthood of Mauzé. Its 12th-century church was damaged by the Huguenots during the Wars of Religion. It was largely rebuilt in the 19th century. All that remains of the Romanesque period are the pillars with their mutilated capitals and the square of the transept with its cupola on pendentives.
Step 3: Le Petit Village
The Petit Village, like its fountain, whose waters swell the Garenne stream. Le Petit Village has retained the charm of its traditional farms and houses.
Step 4: Château d’Allerit
It is not open to the public, but you will be able to see its magnificent dovecote. The source villages of the marsh, much more so than the nearby Sèvre Niortaise valley, have given rise to numerous dwellings, châteaux and other middle-class houses. Most of them, like this one, are surrounded by high walls of small, flat rubble stones, carefully masoned.
Step 5: Le lavoir
In this village, the flow of the Garenne stream is sometimes so powerful during periods of heavy rainfall that its bed has had to be "fixed" by a concrete or metal frame. This puts the masonry of the washhouse to a severe test.
