Parthenay Attractions
Parthenay (pop. 10,473), west of Poitiers, lies on the old pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostela and is now an important market town. Legend has it that the town, with its double ring of walls, was built by the magic arts of the fairy Mélusine. The Rue de la Vaux-St-Jacques has preserved its attractive old-world aspect, as have the Pont St-Jacques and Porte St-Jacques (13th C.) by which the town is entered from the north.
Fascinating, too, is the 13th C. Citadel, with its massive walls and clock-tower of 1454. Above the nearby Parthenay-le-Vieux is the Romanesque church of St-Pierre, with an octagonal tower (well restored) bearing a figure of the fairy Mélusine.
Fascinating, too, is the 13th C. Citadel, with its massive walls and clock-tower of 1454. Above the nearby Parthenay-le-Vieux is the Romanesque church of St-Pierre, with an octagonal tower (well restored) bearing a figure of the fairy Mélusine.
