living places to visit | 35
Cloistered Calm
BrantômE
Climb the oldest campanile in all France, then discover the ancient caverns behind the site
charroux
The 37m high octagonal Tour Charlemagne is the former lantern tower of a once-vast abbey church
As recent events have reminded us, peace and tranquillity are priceless commodities – and they’re still to be found in sacred sites around the region.
T
hroughout many centuries of peace and occasional turmoil the medieval abbeys of France have sought to preserve the air of solace which those who built them originally intended. Conceived as places for peaceful contemplation, many have been lost along the way, but several hundred abbeys are still with us and fulfilling their intended role, so here’s a selection of some of the more interesting sites which we can now visit around our region.
Subscribe today > see page 5 for info
