Poitiers

Poitiers (Poitiers, ancient Limonum) is a city in France, on the Maple River (Loire basin) - the main city of the historical region of Poitou and the administrative center of the Vienne department, a fairly large and busy city. On the site of a fortress of the Celtic tribe of Pictavia, the city of Limonum arose in the Gallo-Roman era. It was one of the most important Roman metropolises in Aquitaine.

Poitiers is rich in monuments of Celtic, Roman and medieval building art: the ruins of a Roman aqueduct have survived, and until 1857. you could still see the Roman arena. On the other side of the Maple is the so-called “Pierre levée” — dolmen (this is the name of one of the types of megalithic (built from large stones or stone slabs) ancient monuments, similar to stone tables (hence their Celtic name, dolmen, in Brittany) and previously recognized by archaeologists as altars or altars of the Druids, but which were in reality stone tombs of the prehistoric era), with which many ancient legends and superstitions are associated.

At the dawn of Christianity, the Chapel of John the Baptist (Baptistere Saint-Jean) was erected here - the oldest example of Christian architecture in France, now the Museum of Merovingian art (the conventional name for the art of a number of regions of France (mainly northern and central), united in the V-VIII centuries. state of the Merovingians, used the traditions of late antique, Gallo-Roman art, as well as the art of barbarians.). Over the centuries of its existence, the chapel has “grown” into the ground. In the center of its hall there is an octagonal font. In the 11th-12th centuries, during the heyday of the pilgrimage route Saint Jacques de Compostelle, numerous Romanesque churches were erected in Poitiers and the surrounding area.

The main attraction of the city, the Church of Notre Dame la Grande (XI-XVI centuries), dates back to this period. Every summer evening, the original appearance of the temple is reproduced through artistic laser projection: biblical characters come to life before the viewer. Noteworthy are the Romanesque Cathedral of St. Peter (Cathédrale Saint-Pierre) in the episcopal quarter, the beginning of construction of which dates back to the end of the 12th century, the Church of St. Radegund - Ste.-Radegonde (XI-XIV centuries) with an underground chapel (in which there is the tomb of Queen Radegund), Saint Hilaire le Grand (XI-XII centuries). The palace of the Counts of Poitou (XII-XV centuries) is noteworthy.

Nearby is the oldest abbey in the West, Liguge, the medieval village of Nouaille-Maupertuis with a Romanesque church built on the territory of a Benedictine abbey, where the tomb of Saint Junien is located.

It was here in the 9th - 18th centuries. Battles took place that determined the history of France for many centuries. At the end of the 5th century. The residence of the Visigothic king Alaric II was located in Poitiers. In 507, the Frankish king Clovis defeated the Visigoths at Vouillé near Poitiers, which ensured the Franks' capture of southwestern Gaul. The city became a major center of the Frankish kingdom. In 732, in the town of Mousset between Poitiers and Tours, the Frankish heavy cavalry of Charles Martell surrounded and defeated an Arab army invading from Spain, forcing it to retreat to the Pyrenees and stopped the Arab advance across Europe, after which Poitiers became the main city of the county of Poitou.

Museums: fine arts (mainly French school), Sainte-Croix - rich archaeological collections and a collection of paintings and sculptures, modern scientific and technical. The Botanical Garden, the picturesque parks of Blossac and Smarves...

The Aquitaine residence of the Order of the Hospitallers was located in Poitiers. The trials of the Templars and Joan of Arc took place in one of the halls of the Palace of the Dukes of Aquitaine (Counts of Poitou), currently the Palace of Justice (built at the beginning of the 13th century, significantly expanded and rebuilt in the 19th century).

Every year a festival on the theme of the Middle Ages is held here and the battles of the Hundred Years' War are played out. South of Poitiers — the abbeys of Saint-Benoit and Fontaine-le-Comte, where François Rabelais took monastic vows at the age of twenty-five.

The towns surrounding Poitiers - Chatellerault, Chauvigny, Saint Savin ... are also worthy of the attention of the inquisitive tourist as custodians of priceless pieces of ancient culture, history and architecture.

Seven kilometers from Poitiers – Futuroscope park. This is a true paradise for dreamers and fantasy lovers: you can glimpse into tomorrow thanks to numerous attractions and shows with lights, music, 3D space and computer games. An exciting journey in space, time, in the world of human values ​​and knowledge.

The Futuroscope symbol is a white ball on a glass pyramid – Solido. The ball is built based on the proportions of the golden ratio. The park is dedicated to visual technologies: dynamic, three-dimensional, popular science, adventure and simply interesting cinema.

European Park of New Audiovisual Technologies Futuroscope is a place for walks and relaxation for the whole family. In it, nature and architecture merge to create a unique space. Situated on an area of ​​100 hectares, spheres, cubes and mirrors are in perfect harmony with water, trees and flowers, creating original and surprising perspectives.