Travel Magazine

Villebois Lavalette -France

By Annie
The town of Villebois Lavaletteis a lovely little town perched on a hillside and surrounded by countryside.


Villebois Lavalette -France
 
View Larger Map  Full of character and a wonderful place to have a walkaround. With a Castle , Church and a very unusual Market place.

Villebois Lavalette -France

And here we have a

Remouleur.

Which in English is a Grinder.

They even have their own Patron Saint.
Sainte-Catherine is the patron saint of grinders.
You might just still see one or two left in Paris.
But now a very dying trade.


He was very happy to have
his photo taken whilst doing
his sharpening.  Merci.
Villebois Lavalette -France   Les Halles

Such an unusual market place , one that is so original.

In 1665 the covering of the original market was
replaced with the one we see now. 

Villebois Lavalette -France
and its huge wooden pillars  and fascinating structure.

The stone columns were added in 1855 to replace the original oak ones
Villebois Lavalette -France
Villebois Lavalette -France
Villebois Lavalette -France
Villebois Lavalette -France  A small but very lively market takes placeon Saturday mornings.  This is where I go a FREE oyster , I offered to pay  but she said it is Nil price. 
Villebois Lavalette -France
 Shopping, Lunch and coffee all under one roof .
Villebois Lavalette -France
Apart from the market , many other events take place here,suppers, concerts and shows.   The House of  Francois de Corlieu. This house dates back to 15th or 16th century and the the lintel is decorated with a  magnificent Ogee Arch
Villebois Lavalette -France  Francois was a celebrated historian , who acted as a
counsellor to the King and Duke of Orleans from 1544 , and he
was then appointed to the position of King's Procurator. Unfortunately
he drowned in the River Charente in 1576.
The Church of Saint-Romain.

In 1864, the commune of this town, received a bequest
contained in the will of the parish priest Vacher.
 The careful economies of the priest, together with the sale of his goods, realised the sum of 30,000 francs, sufficient to pay, in those days, for the enlargement and reconstruction of the church, dedicated to Saint Romain de Lavalette. His will also included the proviso that a requiem mass be celebrated in  perpetuity, on the anniversary of his death.
Villebois Lavalette -France
Villebois Lavalette -France
Villebois Lavalette -France
Villebois Lavalette -France
Unfortunately we could not enter the church on this day ,
as there was a funeral service being held.
Here is the link to Diane's blog and her photos of inside.
We then made our way round to
The Castle which was built in the 10 century on the site a former
Roman settlement, it was modified and fortified in the 12th and13th centuries
by the Lusignan family.
Villebois Lavalette -France
Villebois Lavalette -France
Villebois Lavalette -France
We did not go into the grounds of the Castle either
(no tour) here is Diane's day out there!
Villebois Lavalette -France
As you can see I love ROUND walls .
Villebois Lavalette -France
I have a few more photos to show you , so will do that in the next post. I hope you enjoy the tour as much as I did. ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥  

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