Cultural heritage
Vendée should be explored through its own history. Both along the coast and inland, a living heritage awaits your exploration – castles, humbler dwellings, tourist sites and charming accommodation. Because the people of Vendée are very attached to their roots, they are motivated to bring their heritage to life, the better to share it. These heritage sites are enlivened by shows and festivals.
Not to be missed :
The Refuge of Grasla at Les Brouzils
In the Grasla forest, come and learn about, and relive, the lives of the families which fled here to escape the ’Infernal Columns’ of General Turreau in 1794. There are several different ways in which you can learn about this unique and singular story: visiting the site itself, seeing the spectacle «Sur les pas d’Amandine», and joining in its educational workshops on the theme of history and the environment.
The Prieuré of Grammont at Saint-Prouant
Grammont was founded in the 1200s at the instigation of Richard the Lionheart and is one of France’s best-preserved priories, with its chapel and monastic buildings: chapter house, refectory, kitchen with serving hatch and room for guests. Discover the priory’s architecture and the daily life of the monks. The very stones of Grammont still whisper of the spirit of the Rule.
The Castle of Saint Mesmin
The Castle of Saint Mesmin at Saint André sur Sèvre, is a XIVth century to which was added, in the XVth century, an imposing 28 m high keep.
On the tour of the kitchen, the lord’s residence, the chapel and the latrines, visitors are immersed in the daily life of the medieval period. The now waterless moat, the drawbridge, archer’s slits, cannon positions and battlements along the ramparts all bear witness to the military importance of this late medieval fortress.
The Manor of Réaumur
In the company of a young man fresh from catching an insect out in the fields, come and enter into the world of the enquiring and impassioned Réaumur, the great XVIIIth century man of science.
Discover his work and his inventions such as the thermometer, chickhouses and glass-fronted beehives.
The Château of Terre-Neuve at Fontenay-le-Comte
The privately owned château is inhabited all year round and is a listed Historic Monument. It was built in 1580 by Nicolas Rapin, High Provost of the Constables of France and companion of Henri IV. It is featured in the principal tourist guides and is renowned for its monumental fireplace decorated with alchemist’s symbols, its stone-carved coffered ceilings, its wood-panelling from the Château of Chambord...
