Our Blog - Summer 2024 Trip - Charroux, France

Charroux is another of the Plus Beaux Villages in France and it is a very old village, with excavations finding objects dating back to the Bronze Age. There are actually a couple villages called Charroux, but this one is in the Allier department in the center of France. It was a pretty important town with the wine culture until the phylloxera crisis at the end of the 19th century. This, and WWII, resulted in a significant loss of population, declining to around 300 people now. It is supposedly known for artisanal mustard although all we bought there was jam.

There are 2 remaining gates from the medieval ramparts including this one, the Porte d'Orient. Lucy is quite ready to check out the village.

There are also some remarkable buildings including half-timbered house with elements of the 14th century and cobbled streets. This is what I assume is an old market hall with a nice wooden beamed roof.

The Church of Saint John the Baptist has a classic East-West orientation but the transepts are quite short. It has an odd truncated bell tower with the story behind it remaining a mystery.

The interior is simple with a rather low ceiling, unlike some of the other churches we have seen. There is a mixture of Gothic and Romanesque styles throughout.

Just inside the door what looks like a miniature replica of the Grotto dedicated to Notre Dame of Lourdes.

A stained glass window dating from the 1850's.

At the other end of the village is the Porte d'Occident and Tour de l'Horloge. It was built around the 13th century and then turned into a belfry around the 16th century. The clock was added later.