Travel Guide Javerlhac-Chapelle-Saint-Robert

Comprising two former parishes and communes united in 1818, Javerlhac-Chapelle-Saint-Robert is crossed by the Bandiat, from the Celtic "water of the druidess", a river rich in fish, with numerous ponds and tributaries. Saint-Étienne church, in the village of Javerlhac, was rebuilt in the 15th century on 13th-century remains. It features ancient pillars and capitals with sculpted heads. Two recumbent figures lie in the enfeu on the bell tower side. The château, with its Renaissance openings and machicolated tower, was designed in its current state by Dauphin Pastoureau in the early 16th century. Nearby, the Martin mill still turns its paddlewheel, as it did in the 13th century. La Fuye is a 7-meter-high circular dovecote, originally located in the middle of the river. It contains 1,200 pigeon-houses (boulins) and features an armorial weathervane dating from 1737.The church of La Chapelle Saint-Robert is a Romanesque church that was once the chapel of a Benedictine priory. Listed as a historic monument, it has been restored by the Association de Sauvegarde de l'Eglise de La Chapelle, Bâtiments de France and the Commune. A hiking trail leads to Pierre Virande, an orange-coloured flint rock, a monolith that may be linked to a Druidic cult, to solar myth or may even be considered the tombstone of a Gallic chief... On the road to Varaignes, stop off at the miraculous Sainte-Marguerite fountain.