"The Washerwomen"
Artannes-sur-Indre

"The Washerwomen"

Heritage and history
River and stream
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This hilly circuit offers a variety of landscapes, from farmland to woodland. It's not unusual to come across a roe deer on the side of a path. In the wet meadows along the banks of the Indre, you'll find a beautiful lily, the guinea fritillary (a rare plant); its bulb is very poisonous.

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  • Les Lavandières - Artannes-sur-Indre

    Credit: Les Lavandières - Artannes-sur-Indre - Touraine Vallée de l'Indre

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Description

  1. Fountain of the Mothers
    This fountain was probably sacred in ancient times, and is reputed to have helped milk flow. Another explanation is that the waters of the Fontaine aux Mères must have had beneficial properties, since its very name evokes the Gallic "mothers", deities and patronesses of springs.
  2. Lavoir du Moulin
    Recently renovated, this washhouse was preferred by washerwomen, even though it was further from town than the church washhouse. Covered, the washhouse dates back to 1900. It has a chimney, as the water was heated here.
  3. Lavoir de la Planche des Chaqueneaux
    Humble and difficult to access, this was the only washhouse where the women of Haut Village and Les Châletières could do their laundry. Imagine how hard the women had to work to haul up their wheelbarrows laden with wet laundry!
  4. Girardières washhouse
    Built of stone, this double-sloped washhouse was used by the inhabitants of Briants, to the south, and Girardières, to the north. You can discover this 19th-century open-air washhouse 200m down the road.
  5. Chapelle des Ansaults well
    A very deep 35m well, there were only two of its kind to supply the entire village with drinking water until 1970.
  6. Weir
    Cross the Indre and see the recently renovated weir.
  7. Château des Archevêques
    A 15th-century château built behind the church, it was once a place of rest and pleasure for the archbishops.
  8. Lavoir de l'Église
    Square washhouse located in the former moat, fed by a spring that runs under the road. Before you continue, take a look at the information panels at the corner of the church and the château.
  • Departure : Parking des Gymnases
  • Arrival : Parking des Gymnases
  • Towns crossed : Artannes-sur-Indre, Thilouze, and Monts

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