The best traffic-free bike rides around Dirac

Very nice view

The Tower is difficult to visualize; you must stay in the castle, which offers guest rooms, to access it.

free visit

Beautiful little town center

The Abbey of Notre-Dame de La Couronne is an exceptional monumental complex, composed of the remains of the old abbey church and the convent buildings. A major building representing the introduction of Gothic in Angoumois at the end of the 12th century. In the 12th century, the Abbey of Notre-Dame de la Couronne was founded (from 1118, laying of the first stone). The work was carried out quickly and on March 12, 1122, the monks (of the regular order of Saint Augustine) settled in the presence of Bishop Girard de Blay and the Count of Angoulême. From its creation, the abbey was a great success: a new church was built at the end of the 12th century (choir and nave: 1171-1194; the end of the work was slowed down by wars, famines, etc.): it was dedicated in 1201, in the presence of the Archbishop of Bordeaux. The convent buildings were also renewed at the end of the 12th and beginning of the 13th century: cloisters, dormitory, refectory, infirmary, etc. A surrounding wall surrounded the abbey. During the 13th century, the furnishings were enriched, the Saint-Nicolas chapel was built and the bell tower was built. During the Hundred Years' War, the monks were dispersed and the bell tower collapsed (1450). At the end of the 15th century, the abbey was reborn: part of the collapsed church was rebuilt, a new abbey building was built (the work was completed after 1514). The Wars of Religion affected the abbey again: it was pillaged in 1562, part of its furniture was burned. The convent buildings were restored in 1571. At the beginning of the 17th century, the abbey, which now had only eight monks, was united with the Jesuit order; it was then placed under the obedience of the congregation of Sainte-Geneviève in 1644. In the 18th century, a final campaign of works (1750-1778) transformed the convent buildings. During the Revolution, the abbey became national property. It was sold in 1807, used as a quarry and was gradually dismantled and divided into several properties. This religious establishment is now in ruins and inaccessible to the public. But it is possible to imagine it thanks to a virtual reality tour with the Legendr application. Municipal website: https://www.lacouronne.fr/abbaye-notre-dame 3D reconstruction: https://www.rendr.fr/portfolio/reconstitution-3d-abbaye-notre-dame-la-couronne Heritage of Charente: https://patrimoine16.lacharente.fr/sites-du-departement/la-couronne/

Arched bridge over the Charente, with views to the west over Ile aux Vaches, and to the east over Ile Marquet.

On the forecourt of Angoulême train station are two stone monuments erected in homage to the author of the comic strip: a menhir and an obelisk. On the occasion of the fortieth anniversary of the death of René Goscinny, the René Goscinny Institute, with the support of the International Comic Strip Festival, is offering the City of Angoulême, the international capital of comic strips, a monument that will last a long time. Built in a public place, passers-by will be able to appropriate this obelisk and have fun deciphering its inscriptions. The obelisk for Goscinny is a stone monolith on which are engraved 82 quotes taken from the works of the screenwriter including Asterix, Lucky Luke, Iznogoud, Le Petit Nicolas, Les Dingodossiers... Some of these phrases are part of our everyday language: "They are crazy these Romans", "Find the magic potion", "Be afraid that the sky will fall on our heads", "Shoot faster than your shadow", "Want to be caliph in the place of the caliph"... Translated into 150 languages and dialects, the work of René Goscinny has traveled around the world. Thanks to his qualities as a screenwriter and the talent of his co-authors, Albert Uderzo, Morris, Sempé, Tabary, Gotlib, the comic strip becomes the 9th art. This monument is a tribute to the entire comic strip. https://www.angouleme-tourisme.com/equipement/parvis-de-la-gare-lobelisque-et-le-menhir/#:~:text=Cet%20ob%C3%A9lisque%20BD%20a%20%C3%A9t%C3%A9,cultes%20des%20albums%20d'Ast%C3%A9rix.

The parish church of Notre-Dame is Romanesque and dates from the 12th century. It has a Romanesque bell tower with two floors of arched bays and a conical spire. A dome is at the crossing and the capitals are decorated with sculptures. On the gable of the façade, bas-reliefs depict Christ between evangelical symbols. Its façade was damaged during the Revolution, and heavily restored in the 19th century10. It was classified as a historic monument on July 12, 1886 https://www.angouleme-tourisme.com/patrimoine-culturel/eglise-notre-dame-de-trois-palis/ A little history of the town of Trois Palis by following this link: http://trois-palis.fr/histoire-et-patrimoine/