A lovely day out...

Yesterday we headed down to Saint-Savin in the la Vienne to their brocante along with friends Angela and Dennis.

This charming town is located on the left bank of the Gartempe river is famous for its Romanesque abbey, a UNESCO World Heritage Site which makes for a great backdrop to any events here.

Pauline and I currently only use brocantes as a casual walk as we have more 'stuff' than we need while D&A still look for treasure and bargains.

These items do not fall into either category - try before you buy comment. 

After our walk around the brocante and a coffee,we took a walk down to the river to take in the great views over the river.

As we headed back north we spotted a sign for a 'Marche Gourmond' at nearby Archigny, these are local producers' markets where you can buy and taste local specialties on site in a festive and friendly atmosphere.

When we arrived we found there was also a small brocante and display of tractors and motorcycles as well as the producers' stalls.

As it was lunch time we were hoping to take advantage of some of the food on offer but found that unfortunately it was obviously so 'local' that you had to have made a previous reservation. 

So it was on to the next option - La Roche-Posay where we settled down for a light bite at the 'Epicure' cafe which proved a good choice.

Audio guided tour of Orleans : Part II : Strolling Orléans’ medieval heart.

After our visit to the cathedral,we strolled down to nearby Rue Pothier, where we were led to the 'Salle des Thèses' all that remains of Orléans first university. It is one of the oldest (15th century) surviving Gothic civil monuments from the Middle Ages in the whole of France.It was frequented by the Reformer John Calvin and the humanists Erasmus and Rabelais.

At the bottom of the street,on Rue de Bourgogne, you will find the 'Hôtel de préfecture du Loiret' the administrative headquarters for both the Loiret department and the Centre-Val-de-Loire region. The building was formerly part of Notre-Dame de Bonne-Nouvelle Abbey complex. 

These streets capture the city’s layered past, from Roman origins to lively present-day charm. Rue de Bourgogne, Rue de la Poterne, and Rue de la Charpenterie form a compact network of narrow lanes, half-timbered façades, and everyday energy that still feels intimately tied to the Loire.Rue de Bourgogne is a very long street that runs east to west through Orléans.

This street was the medieval route toward Burgundy and is the way Joan of Arc entered the city in 1429. You pass the narrow Rue du Bœuf Sainte-Croix with a look back at the cathedral before arriving at Rue de la Poterne.

This street offers a quieter, more intimate scale. A classic medieval side street, it preserves fine examples of timber-framed architecture, including a late-14th-century house at No. 25 and others (such as Nos. 16 and 28) displaying distinctive patterns, diamond lattices and grid work. Its name evokes the old Port de la Poterne, once a busy riverside landing for goods arriving by boat. The street sits at the meeting point of commercial activity to the north and more artisan-oriented zones toward the river.

Rue de la Charpenterie continues the story of craft and continuity. Named for the carpenters and joiners and masons who once lived and worked here. Notable half-timbered façades survive, among them the colorful 15th-century examples around Nos. 64–66 and finer stone details elsewhere.

The house at number 32 dates from 1501. The oak timber-framed facade consists of St. Andrew's cross panels and a brick infill. The ground floor was modified in the 18th century and formerly housed a shop. You can see Pauline admiring it in the photo above,while listening to the audio presentation. 

Together these streets form the living core of Orléans’ old quarter. Their narrow proportions, surviving timber frames and mix of daily commerce and quiet corners make them ideal for slow exploration on foot. We walked them in the guides sequence moving easily between Roman alignment, medieval craftsmanship and the contemporary feel of a city still shaped by its river, where we were heading to next.

Audio guided tour of Orleans : Part I - Hôtel Groslot & Cathédrale Sainte-Croix.

 

On Wednesday morning we took the self guided audio tour of Orleans, picking up the map and guide and setting off from in front of the Tourist Office on Place du Martroi. The 2.5-hour tour covers key historical landmarks sequentially from Place du Martroi to the Jardin Jacques Boucher. The physical rental device's commentary details the history, architecture, and anecdotes associated with Joan of Arc, the Renaissance Hôtel Groslot, the Sainte-Croix Cathedral, and the medieval university district.

First stop Hôtel Groslot built for Jacques Groslot, bailli of Orléans, between 1549 and 1553. The design is attributed to the celebrated Renaissance architect Jacques Androuet du Cerceau.The original building was considerably smaller than what you see today: the central Renaissance block is the oldest part, with its distinctive combination of brick and stone and three gables.

In 1560, the young King François II came to Orléans with his court during the Estates General. He stayed at the Hôtel Groslot, partly because of the political conflict with Jérôme Groslot, Jacques's son and a supporter of the Reformation.

François II died here on 5 December 1560, aged only 15. His mother, Catherine de Médicis, was with him, as was his wife Mary Stuart (Marie Stuart). That makes the present-day salle des mariages rather extraordinary: it is traditionally identified as the room where the king died, yet it is still used for civil weddings.

Other royal visitors included Charles IX, Henri III and Henri IV. After the Revolution, the Hôtel Groslot became Orléans town hall in 1790. It remained the Hôtel de Ville for many years and was extensively remodelled in the 19th century.

Joan double feature...outside and in.

The bronze Jeanne d'Arc on the steps is not medieval, despite how naturally it fits the setting, she still bears the marks of bullets she received during the liberation of Orléans in 1944. 

It was made by Marie d'Orléans, daughter of Louis-Philippe and was presented to the city by her father in 1839. It is therefore another 19th-century layer added to this much older building.

The guide doesn't mention the gardens but you should have a look in as you pass.

 Next stop Cathédrale Sainte-Croix.The first thing to understand about Sainte-Croix is that it is not a cathedral built in one continuous campaign. Its present appearance is the result of almost six centuries of construction, destruction and rebuilding. The Gothic cathedral was begun in 1287, work was interrupted by the Hundred Years' War and much of the building was destroyed during the Wars of Religion in 1568. Henri IV laid the foundation stone for the reconstruction on 18 April 1601 and the cathedral was finally inaugurated by Charles X on 8 May 1829. 

The present building is consequently an architectural mixture rather than a textbook example of one period. You can see Gothic, Classical and later Neo-Gothic influences, reflecting the different periods of rebuilding.

Jeanne d'Arc came to Sainte-Croix to pray on 8 May 1429, during the campaign that lifted the English siege of Orléans. She would have seen the medieval cathedral, although not the building you see today: the transept and western towers of her time were subsequently destroyed and rebuilt.

Look particularly at the ten stained-glass windows in the lower aisles devoted to Jeanne d'Arc. They were created in 1893 by the glass artists Galland and Gibelin and tell the story of her life right up to her burning at the stake.

The dimensions of the cathedral are impressive: about 140 metres long, 53 metres wide, with the principal spire reaching 106 metres. It is among France's largest Gothic cathedrals.

More from our guided tour tomorrow.

Orleans...getting reacquainted.

Like on our visit to Chambord where we had driven through rain right until we arrived at the parking we arrived in Orleans in the rain but after changing to go out and an aperitif on our balcony watching the heavy rain it stopped and the sky cleared for our walk into the city centre.

The evening sun threw a warm glow onto Rue Jeanne d'Arc leading to the cathedral.

Our destination was Pl. du Martroi and a restaurant for dinner. 

There was plenty of options, we chose 'Le Bistrot' where Pauline and Eileen chose an overgenerous brochette.

After dinner we wandered around the square,which had taken on its nighttime dressing, to suss out other options for our next visit.

We found what looked like a good spot for lunch and another for dinner. Tomorrow would not be all about eating however as we had booked a self guided walking tour of the city.