Travel Guide Vouvant

Classified as one of the most beautiful villages in France, Vouvant is the only fortified city in the Vendée region that has been preserved. Enclosed in a loop of the river Mère, behind a fortified enclosure, Vouvant was born from the legend of Mélusine, ancestor of the counts of Lusignan who would have built, in one night, a castle in the village. In the middle of the forest of Mervent, straight out of a romantic tale and true kingdom of the sessile oaks, an atmosphere of legends still emanates from the old stones and the paved streets of the village of Vouvant. The high ramparts dominate the Mother River. From its rocky promontory, the keep - called the Mélusine tower - keeps alive the memory of the powerful Lusignan family, descendants of the fairy and masters of the place in the Middle Ages. At a height of almost 40 meters, the visitor enjoys a lordly view of the surrounding hills and valleys, where centuries-old secrets resound... In the timeless calm of the village, the eye wanders from the high Renaissance facade of the Maison Laurent to the majestic chestnut trees of the Place du Bail and the Doric columns of the market hall. From there, the magnificent 11th century Notre-Dame church also offers its treasures... Many sculptures decorate the portal, revealing a mythical universe that insinuates itself into the church. Fantastic animals, biblical heroes and Atlanteans populate the friezes, the capitals... and finally the spirit of the walkers. Vouvant is also a village of painters.