Santiago de Compostella by bike - Via Touraine Val de Vienne

Chapel of Our Lady of Loreto in Saint-Epain
This unusual chapel carved into the rock is thought to have been built in the 14th or 15th century. Inside, a carved shell next to the holy water font is reminiscent of Santiago de Compostela. Every year, a pilgrimage takes place on the first Sunday in October.

Courtineau Valley
A verdant valley that hugs the contours of the chalk cliff, dotted with numerous cave dwellings. 

Market halls of Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine
Built in 1448 by Aymard de la Rochefoucault, the market halls were restored in 1672 by Anne de Rohan. They housed salt granaries that were destroyed in the 19th century. This building, listed as a historic monument, has two monumental doors on its east and west façades, each surmounted by a curved pediment supported by corbels and angels emerging from falling fruit.

Castle and crypt
The castle was built around 990 by Foulques Nerra. It was replaced by a stone structure with a central square keep in the 14th century. Beneath the church is an 11th-century crypt divided into three parallel naves with semi-circular arches.

Saint-Mesmin Priory
Founded by Hugues I of Sainte-Maure and built in 1050. Of this Romanesque-style building, only the north transept, with two small apsidioles, remains.

Cross of Liberty
This trefoil cross is unique due to its original shape and the circular ambulatory that surrounds it. It marks the start of the GR 655 hiking trail to the south of the town.

The Boumiers dolmen
It dates back to between 4000 and 5000 BC.
For Neolithic populations, it served as a funerary monument.

Maillé
On 25 August 1944, while Paris was celebrating its liberation, 124 residents were massacred by German soldiers. The Maison du Souvenir recounts this tragedy. The church dedicated to Saint Martin has 11th-century foundations and a 12th-century porch. The coat of arms of the town of Maillé consists of a red background with a silver chevron accompanied by three gold shells.

Saint-Léger Church in Nouâtre
Built in 1483, the church replaced a building dedicated to Saint Révérend, whose life has been traced thanks to a long fresco comprising twelve panels. A 15th-century alabaster triptych with 43 sculpted figures is particularly famous. Entitled Judea, it depicts the Passion of Christ in five panels, framed by Saint James and Saint Barbara. Renovated in 2017. 

Noyers Abbey
South of the village of Nouâtre, Noyers Abbey, founded in the 11th century by Sir Hubert, companion of Foulques Nerra, was a former Benedictine abbey. Today, imposing 18th-century buildings remain, including the entrance gate with a coat of arms surmounted by a royal crown. Part of the paving from the chapter house can be found in Noyers Church. Charter 437 (from 1120) in the Noyers cartulary mentions that Pétronille, wife of Pierre de Tebert, wanted to go to Santiago de Compostela.

Tympanum of the church in Marcilly-sur-Vienne
The Church of Saint Blaise dates back to the late 15th century. Built from cut stone in the Gothic style, it bears the influence of the Renaissance. It remains an example of late medieval art in Touraine. On the walls of the chevet, there is graffiti marking the highest flood levels. The oldest dates from 1530 and the one from July 1792 commemorates the highest level ever recorded in the Vienne. These precious testimonies, carved into the tuffeau stone, now represent a true ‘stone memory’ for local history.

Shell in the church of Ports-sur-Vienne
The name of the town indicates the presence of several river landing stages. Inside the 11th-century church with its timber-framed bell tower, a shell-shaped holy water font reinforces the evocation of the Way of St James.

Bec des deux eaux
Here you can see where the two rivers, the Vienne and the Creuse, meet, known as the confluence. River navigation was the most common mode of transport in the Middle Ages. Materials, food and travellers were transported between two floods. Pilgrims in the Middle Ages often travelled by river. 

Porch of the church in Pussigny
The Romanesque church dedicated to Saint Clair belonged to Noyers Abbey in the 11th century. All that remains from the 12th century is the façade and a semi-circular door with three roll mouldings. The rest was rebuilt in the 18th and 19th centuries. The stele in the village square was created by a local sculptor. In Pussigny, a sign put up this year indicates that it is 1,275 km to Compostela by bicycle.

Romanesque church of Antogny-le-Tillac
Rebuilt in the 11th century and modified in the 12th century, this Romanesque church has a vaulted choir and an octagonal bell tower. It was from Antogny-le-Tillac that Dame Pétronille is said to have left for Santiago de Compostela in 1120.