Sepmes’s monuments and former seigneuries provide the thread for a guided walk through the village’s history. The route places its buildings within the older pattern of local estates and authority. An accompanying display introduces a different chapter: an old fire engine that took part in the Normandy landings, linking the village programme with wartime memory.
Topic: events
Bellegarde: Castle History Through Theatre
Theatrical sketches punctuate a wandering visit through Bellegarde’s château and garden. Actors from the troupe guide the programme with the town’s cultural service, alternating performance with historical explanation. The building and its grounds become part of the storytelling, allowing scenes from the past to be encountered through movement and live interpretation.
Autry-le-Châtel: The Petit Château Opens Its Doors
Autry-le-Châtel’s Petit Château reveals an elegant Renaissance residence through a heritage opening. Access includes part of the interior as well as the exterior, allowing the building to be seen from both domestic rooms and the grounds around it. The wooded park extends the visit beyond the house and into the landscape of this historic estate.
Sancerre: The Church Fathers and Protestant Thought
Are the Church Fathers also the fathers of Protestant thought? Jean-Paul LESIMPLE takes up that question in a heritage talk in Sancerre, tracing the long historical and theological passage between early Christianity and Luther. The lecture challenges the habit of skipping those intervening centuries, opening a discussion within the town’s Protestant religious heritage.
Châtillon-sur-Loire: From Fossils to Local History
Fossils and ancient objects begin a journey through Châtillon-sur-Loire’s past, followed through the municipal history and prehistory collections. Philippe Jarret guides the visit, relating the exhibits to life in the town across successive periods. The heritage programme brings archaeological material and local stories together, with opportunities to ask questions about the objects and the people behind them.
La Bussière: Fishing Collections and Hidden Rooms
La Bussière’s fishing collection receives renewed attention in a heritage programme concerned with its presentation and protection. Alongside that work, guided visits reveal less familiar parts of the château, including servants’ rooms, attics and the dovecote. The combination sets collected objects beside the working spaces of a country house, widening the view beyond its principal rooms.
La Chopinière du Roy: Cellar Tour and Loire Wines
Old vintages rest in the rock-cut cellar of Domaine de la Chopinière du Roy, part of Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil’s wine landscape. A tour leads into this setting before a tasting compares older wines with the estate’s current cuvées. Cabernet franc from Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil and Bourgueil sits alongside Chenin Blanc, rosé and Crémant de Loire in the estate’s range.
Tigy: Beekeeping and a Bootmaker’s Craft
Bees and leatherwork share the programme at Tigy’s Musée de l’Artisanat Rural Ancien. Annick Thais explains beekeeping techniques and the life of bees, while shoemaker and bootmaker Johnny Piot demonstrates shoe assembly and leather sewing. His Compagnon du Devoir et du Tour de France background gives a precise craft context to the handwork shown during this rural heritage gathering.
Valençay: Behind the Doors of Talleyrand’s Palace
Doors usually closed to the public open onto less familiar parts of Talleyrand’s princely palace at Valençay. Unusual guided visits explore spaces already restored and others still awaiting restoration. Secret rooms and a garden extend the encounter beyond the regular visitor route, making the care and changing condition of this historic estate part of the experience.