The best walks and hikes around Saint-Aignan-Des-Gués

A beautiful place created by a local association. Breaks are possible with benches and shade.

Nestled in a meander of the Loire, the town of Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire is home to one of the most beautiful jewels of Romanesque architecture: an 11th and 12th century basilica including the porch tower, decorated with twelve historic capitals. , the monumental portal and the nave constitute the most remarkable elements. Founded around 650 on the grounds of an ancient Gallo-Roman villa, Fleury Abbey has housed the relics of Saint Benedict, founder of Western monasticism and patron saint of Europe, since 672. During the 8th century, the patronage of the Prince of the Apostles was abandoned for that of Saint Benedict. This event is at the origin of the rapid expansion, prosperity and influence of the abbey which became Saint-Benoît de Fleury, while the village later became that of Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire. In the 9th century, after the ordeal of the Norman invasions which pillaged and destroyed the monastery, Fleury Abbey flourished again. The 10th and 11th centuries were the great era of Fleury's spiritual, intellectual and artistic influence. The construction of Fleury was probably completed in 1218. A few centuries later, the Hundred Years' War and the Wars of Religion ruined the monastery and disrupted regular life, the community's numbers collapsed. The French Revolution will end up dispersing the community of Fleury Abbey. But in 1944, a community of around forty monks resettled in the area and undertook the reconstruction of the monastery. A community of thirty-three monks lives there today under the direction of Father Abbot Etienne Ricaud. In 1947, the fourteenth centenary of the death of Saint Benedict led the abbey to be elevated to the status of a basilica. The visitor is invited to admire the fabulous historic capitals present in the porch tower, the nave and the choir; the magnificent paving which extends around the altar as well as the crypt where the relics of the patron saint rest. Not to be missed is the north portal and its monumental lintel carved in high relief.

We already find traces of a monastery in Fleury in the year 620. In 660, relics of Saint-Benoît were brought there and the abbey became Saint-Benoît de Fleury. Around the year 1000, the abbey experienced a golden age and the construction of the current basilica was launched. It will be consecrated in 1218. From the 16th to the 18th century, wars and the Revolution damaged the monastery. However, a community of 24 monks still lives there today.

Pleasant trail surrounded by nature, the Loire always nearby

One of the oldest churches in France, built in 806, under Charlemagne. It is of pre-Romanesque architecture, inspired by Byzantine art. Even more remarkable due to the presence of a Byzantine-inspired mosaic on its apse vault, which also dates from its construction.

The port of Saint-Benoît is a natural port, classified as a picturesque site on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The setting is truly idyllic. The Loire navy was flourishing in the 18th century. The inhabitants of Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire were sailors and carriers by water, and transported various goods. Like all active ports on the Loire, that of Saint-Benoît disappeared in the 19th century with the arrival of the railway.

Fleury Abbey, whose foundation dates back to the seventh century, still hosts 25 monks today. Its basilica (Saint-Benoît) can be visited outside the services. The monastery also welcomes pilgrims in search of silence, seeking to return to the presence of God.

The port of Saint-Benoît is a natural port, classified as a picturesque site on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The setting is truly idyllic. The Loire navy was flourishing in the 18th century. The inhabitants of Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire were sailors and carriers by water, and transported various goods. Like all active ports on the Loire, that of Saint-Benoît disappeared in the 19th century with the arrival of the railway.