Paris1972-Versailles2003

I was on my road warrior trails nearby and passed by Civray, a small town full of charm and some older pictures found in my cd rom vault to show in my blog for you and me. I like to give you an introduction to a wonderful old historical town ,and the church that took pictures of, Therefore, this is my take on this is Civray !!! Hope you enjoy it as I,

The town of Civray is in the Vienne department. 86 of the Nouvelle Aquitaine region of my belle France. It is 17 km from Ruffec 58 km from Poitiers 115 km from Saintes, 133 km from La Rochelle, 226 km from Nantes, 387 km from Versailles, and 358 km from my current home, I came by here on the N165 ,then A83 on the A10 exit 31, to get into the D611 ,continue on D329 then D29a/D26 to Valence en Poitou and here take the D7 to Civray,

The Church Saint Nicolas is from the 12C,and has a rectangular facade decorated with a profusion of sculptures. Look up to see the octagonal Lantern Tower on its bedside. Enter inside the church and discover the fresco that tells the legend of Saint-Gilles.

Inside ,not entered but read about it has many sculptures of various themes: the fight between vices and virtues, Saint-Nicolas saving three young girls…Discover a very colorful decoration dating from the 19C, on the walls of the church. Only the frescoes located on the right side of the transept are older: 13-14C.

Other things to see here with more time are: the Chapel of the Commandery of the Templars, located on Rue de la Commanderie, 300 meters from the Grand Pont. Remains of the castle dating from the 10-11C. Its existence is attested from 1010-1020 under the name of Castrum Sivriacum. The Noble House of the Hermitage ;it belonged to the same family from 1629 to 1985. This family was Protestant, Tower located at 4, Place Leclerc, next to the church. It is a former dovecote. It dates from the 15-16C. Hôtel de la Prévôté located at no. 10, Rue Louis-XIII. This building is also called “Hôtel Louis XIII” in memory of the king’s visit to Civray. Indeed, Louis XIII slept in this house on January 2, 3 and 4, 1616. He was then 16 years old. He was accompanied by his wife, Anne of Austria, whom he had just married in Bordeaux and his mother, Marie de Medici. Hôtel des Trois Piliers. It is located at nos. 1, 3, 4, 5 and 7 rue Louis-XIII. It dates from the beginning of the 16C. It was the most important and most famous hotel in Civray. The town is a small trading town where you can taste the local specialty: chabichou, a goat’s cheese. Delicious!

A bit of its rich history I like tell us that a first settlement developed with a small church and a fortified castle, around a ford on the Charente river, then a bridge. The castle was built by the Counts of La Marche who had been based in Charroux from the 10C to 1177. Merchants, innkeepers and craftsmen settled on either side of the Perrin bridge ,built in 1169; this was the birth of the new Civray on the right bank. At the same time, the Saint-Nicolas Church was built. Belonging to the House of Lusignan, in particular to the branch of the Counts of Eu, Lords of Exoudun, Melle, La Mothe, Villeneuve, Usson and Chizé, who revolted against the authority of King Saint Louis, the latter besieged the castle of Civray and occupied it in 1246. Marie de Lusignan was the heiress of these fiefs when she married Alphonse de Brienne around 1250. The Brienne, Counts of Eu and Guînes, kept these fiefs until they were seized by the Crown in 1350 following the disgrace and execution of Constable Raoul , From the middle of the 14C with the Hundred Years’ War, the towns were fortified at great expense. Thus, to enter Civray, you must cross one of the four fortified gates built by the inhabitants: the Angoulême gate, the Niortaise gate, the Sénégeaud gate or the Evesquerie gate. In 1363, the town, which was part of the royal domain, the commandery depended on that of Ensigné (currently in the Deux-Sèvres department). With the disappearance of the Order of the Temple, the commandery and the chapel were transferred to the Hospitallers of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem. After the French revolution, the chapel became a barn. King François I gave Civray a second wind by establishing it as a county in July 1526 for his mother, Louise of Savoy, who was also made Duchess of Angoulême at the same time. It would last until the French revolution. Francis I then abolished the county of Civray in October 1533, and reestablished it on June 12, 1540 in favor of his last son Charles of Orléans. The Protestants occupied Civray for a few days in 1574. The Edict of Nantes proclaimed in 1598 by Henry IV authorized them to build a temple in 1613, in the street that today bears that name. Under the reign of Louis XIII, Civray was part of the “Protestant crescent” that went from Poitou to Dauphiné, encompassing Saintonge, Aunis (La Rochelle) and Angoumois, Upper and Lower Guyenne, Upper and Lower Languedoc including the Cévennes. In this area lived four fifth of the Huguenot populations. Entire villages belonged to the Reformation. During this period, from 1613, Capuchins were sent to Civray to promote the Counter-Reformation and fight against Protestantism. Their convent was set up on the site of the current Jeanne-d’Arc college and the Capucines retirement home. Still, in this desire to counter Protestantism, the Benedictines settled in Civray in 1637. The convent was built on land currently located on rue Duplessis, on the site of the Lycée André-Theuriet high school. Civray welcomed the advances of the French revolution. It thus planted its tree of liberty, symbol of the revolution. It became the rallying point for all the festivals and major revolutionary events, such as the Festival of Reason and Philosophy on July 13, 1793.

The town of Civray on its heritage: https://www.civray.fr/transitions/patrimoine-et-histoire/

The Vienne dept 86 tourist office on Civray: https://www.tourisme-vienne.com/en/webzines/civray/

The local Civray Poitou tourist office on the church: https://www.tourismecivraisienpoitou.com/site-culturel/eglise-saint-nicolas/

There you go folks, another wonder in my belle France indeed. Many memories already fading here and so time to be back soon and will take again pictures!  Civray is nice ,worth the detour, Again, hope you enjoy the post on this is Civray as I.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!