Département: Vienne
Poitiers, the old capital of Poitou and now chief town of the département of Vienne, the see of a bishop and since 1432 a university town, is picturesquely situated on a rocky plateau, 50m/165ft high, above the valley of the rivers Clain and Boivre, which unite just north of the old
town. The valley is spanned by high bridges offering wide views. The main attractions of Poitiers are its early Romanesque churches.
Poitiers was the Roman town of Limonum. The first Christians gathered here in the third century, and the Baptistery is France's oldest Christian building. The city's first great bishop was St Hilarius (St Hilaire), St Martin's teacher. It was perhaps no accident, therefore, that the battle in which Charles Martel defeated the Arabs and halted the advance of Islam was fought near Poitiers in 732. During the 12th and 14th centuries Poitiers twice came under English rule. With the foundation of the University in 1432 the town became an important intellectual center, with many churches. In 1569 it was besieged by Protestant forces, but 10 years later it was the scene of the "grands jours de Poitiers", a meeting aimed at putting an end to religious strife.
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