Our guide to the short (but uphill) walk up the Grand’ Rue will help you connect to many of the great episodes of France’s history. Learn more about the Kings, Templars, Joan of Arc and others who walked the same ground. Finish with one of the masterpieces of Medieval Art, the church of Notre-Dame-la-Grande.
Introduction
It must be an unusual street to contain glimpses of almost all the history over a city’s two millennium life, and Poitiers’ “High Street,” the Grand’ Rue, is an unusual street. From its early days as the Decumanus of Gallo-Roman Limonum, its Carolingian Bridge, the defense of Aquitaine against the northerners, the Fall of the Templars, several kings and Joan of Arc, a sainted poet fond of good food and sacred hymns, a street of churches and of artisans, climbing from the river to one of the most famous of all Romanesque Churches, the Grand’ Rue has seen it all. For centuries it was a series of connecting streets – the Rue du Pont Joubert, the Rue St Michel, the Grand’ Rue, the Rue St Etienne, and the Rue du Marché Notre-Dame – until the Grand’ Rue’s name absorbed all the others in 1895. Walking along it today, one can absorb much of Poitiers’ past – with the steep slope, stopping to let some that history seep in is not a bad idea. Follow along with us.
- Starting Point: Pont Joubert
- End Point: Notre-Dame-la-Grande
- Distance: 0.8 Miles
- Walking Time: 20 minutes
- Estimated total time: 1.5 hours
Map: see at bottom of walk, or at link here
The Walk
We begin our trip up “High Street” where travelers from the east always entered Poitiers, crossing the Clain River on the Pont Joubert (map A). The bridge’s name dates back the time of Charlemagne and his heirs (see the story in “A Carolingian Bridge”), and before that this spot was the main ford across the river and into Gallo-Roman Limonum. Your route is visible in front of you, carving its way among the roofs on the side of Poitiers’ plateau. In the Middle Ages, the fortified walls built under Alienor of Aquitaine had an entrance at this bridge, called in its early days the Porte du Pont-d’Angilbert. Among other things, it was through this gate that newly chosen Bishops of Poitiers were to enter to take possession of their new See, with an elaborate ceremony. Another interesting medieval ritual was that as part of the feudal arrangements between the Counts of Poitou and the regional aristocracy, neighboring lords had the obligation to guard the Pont Joubert and the adjoining tower for a certain period. Even an important regional noble like the Baron of Morthemer was obliged to come at least once, and in person, bringing four men-at-arms, and spent 40 days and 40 nights guarding the bridge. Today’s visitors are dispensed of the obligation.
The small gardens along the Clain to your left are a reminder that the Clain was once very much a working river, and that the Grand’ Rue was the hub of Poitiers manufacturing. Back in the 15th century, where there are now houses along the first two blocks to your right, up to the Rue des Feuillants, stood a series of early industrial enterprises, all of them owned by the seigneur Maurice Claveurier – the largest industrialist of his time and several times Mayor of Poitiers in the 1470s. His complex included fish nurseries, wheat and flour mills, and tanneries, and went from here to what is now the overpass of the Voie Andre Malraux. The area would have been on both sides of the 12th Century fortified town walls, which ran along the course of the Boulevard below you.
The first street to your left, the Rue du Pigeon Blanc, after the first block runs along the course of Poitiers’ earlier 3rd Century Gallo-Roman wall, and to the Eglise Sainte-Radegonde (see the story of this church in “From Thuringia With Love”, or visit it in our walk featuring Eleanor of Aquitaine), once one of western France’s main pilgrimage destinations. A gate in the Gallo-Roman city wall stood just below where the Rue des Feuillants comes in to your right (map B).
The corner of the Grand’ Rue and the Rue des Feuillants has an interesting history. On the right side past the intersection, at #50, stood for centuries not one but two churches, one built on top of the other. The “upper” church was dedicated to Saint George in 1277 – why it was built on top of its even earlier companion church is unclear. It was destroyed in the 1740s. The lower church, the Eglise Saint Michel, had one of the largest congregations of any parish in the city before the Revolution. It is a bit odd to have had two distinct churches superimposed in this manner: this would seem to have derived from the very particular approach to the worship of the Archangel Michael during the Middle Ages. The cult of the Archangel originated at Mount Gargano in Italy, where he is said to have appeared near a cave. As art historian Emile Male pointed out in one of his essays, medieval sanctuaries dedicated to Saint Michael at times were located in caves, and this practice evolved into having superimposed churches, where the lower church mimicked the “cave” of Mount Gargano. The most famous example of this unusual approach can be found at the Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy, where the original sanctuary was a cave, and then for centuries centered on a “lower” church over which a different sanctuary was built. This would seem to have been the model followed here in Poitiers. The cemetery of the churches, sloping toward the river, contained many roman artifacts.
Another 100 feet further along the Grand’ Rue you come to the intersection with the Rue Saint-Fortunat. This street is named for Venantius Fortunat, an interesting 6th Century Italian poet who (a) was exiled from Italy, (b) worked at the court of several Merovingian Kings, (c) came to Poitiers where he befriended Sainte Radegonde, (d) wrote a hymn still sung today in churches, (e) eventually becoming the Bishop of Poitiers, and (f) was canonized and became the Patron Saint of French chefs (see his story in “If This be the Food of Love“). It is possible that when in Poitiers he may have lived on this street, at #11.
Coming into the Grand’ Rue from the other side (map C) is the Rue des Carmes, a link back to the dark times of the Hundred’s Year War (which among other things overlapped with the arrival of the Black Death, bubonic plague, in Europe) and the days when England ruled this piece of the continent. The Convent of the Carmes, or Carmelites, was established here after the 1356 Battle of Poitiers, by John Chandos and William Felton, leaders of the English troops in France. The Battle of 1356, in which the King of France was captured, cemented the control of northern and western France for the English, led by the Black Prince (surely a role model for Darth Vader if there ever was one) – at least until the next turn of fortune in the War, when the French (temporarily) regained the advantage. Bodies of the English knights killed at the Battle (which was far fewer than the number of French knights, who were buried for the most part at the Poitiers Convents of the Dominicans and Franciscans), were buried here in the Convent of the Carmes, with the monks there charged with chanting hymns to their memories.
Keep going up the hill. On the right, look into the courtyard of #s 94-96 to see the (fake but impressive) Renaissance mansion, the Hotel de Briey. Just past this, at #102 is a true Renaissance (and historic) mansion, which housed not one but two Kings of France (map D). Known as the Hotel de Rochefort, or the Hotel du Moulin, it was built in the 15th Century for the Secretary of King Louis XI, the Notary Jehan de Moulin. When the King came to Poitiers in 1461, this is where he stayed. In 1519, King François I, France’s “Renaissance King,” also stayed here on his visit to Poitiers, early in his long reign and with his Queen, Claude. The mansion is now the home of Cultural Affairs for the Poitou-Charentes, and the place to go for information on any questions regarding the archaeological heritage of the region.
Just past the Hotel de Rochefort, stood for centuries at #108 Grand’ Rue one of Poitiers most famous, and infamous, restaurants, the Auberge du Boeuf Couronné. Cattle farmers from throughout the area would gather here and elect “the Bull of the Year,” following which they would drink too much and parade through the streets. Its claim to infamy, however, went all the way back to the 17th Century. In 1661 the restaurant was founded by a man named Rocroy, who had previously had another restaurant on the Paris road north of here. It was then discovered that said Rocroy had left six dead bodies in the previous restaurant. For some reason, the Auberge du Boeuf Couronné not only survived but thrived.
Across the street at #113 was until recently another, far more proper, establishment which had also survived and thrived: the Ciergerie Guedon. This maker of cierges, or votive candles, began business back in 1735, in the time that Louis XV was the King of France. So many votive candles have been burned in the churches of Poitiers that the business continued, the last maker of votive candles between the Loire and the Garonne, until 2019. Surely some were purchased right across the street at the Convent of the Minimes, which had its entrance off of #116 Grand’ Rue. The Order was one of the great many which came to Poitiers in the days of the Counter-Reformation. Today is a school for a different kind of “minimes,” grade-school children.
At #118 Grand’ Rue is one of Poitiers’ oldest houses, the Maison des Trois Clous, dating back to the early 15th Century (map E). Charles VII, then King of France, lived here on and off from 1422 to 1424 (that makes three Kings of France to have stayed on the street, in the event you’re counting). If it sounds unusual for a King of France to live in Poitiers for the better part of two years, it most certainly was. Charles VII was referred to by his contemporaries as alternatively either the “King of Bourges” or the “King of Poitiers”, as the English were in possession of Paris, and he had to move his court to Bourges, while the Parliament moved to Poitiers (in the predecessor of today’s City Hall). His time in Poitiers gave rise to a famous episode involving Joan of Arc, which we shall see shortly. The house, somewhat like the Grand’ Rue itself, does seem a little narrow for a King to live there two years.
At #137 on the left is another commercial rarity, and one of Poitiers’ most beloved establishments, Les Parapluies François, dating back to 1882, now over a century old and still making their umbrellas in the workshop behind the storefront. As you look this unique store, picture that much of the Grand’ Rue looked like this before World War II, with small shopkeepers, often making their products in the rear of the store. The street also counted six bakers, 15 grocers (epiceries) and some two-dozen cafes and restaurants. It is a lot quieter today.
As you continue your climb and come to the corner of the Rue Montgautier, pause and look on your left to #159, not at the bar on the ground floor, but at the historical marker to the left and up above (map F). There you can still make out the carved insignia, “L’Hotel Du Grand Prieur d’Aquitaine” and the date of 1667. This a “must” stop for fans of Dan Brown thrillers, for this building is intimately tied to the tragic end of one of the most glamorous medieval institutions, the Knights Templar (for this story see “The Doom of the Templars”). The Grand Prior who modernized this 14th century property in 1667 was from the main rivals of the Templars, the Order of the Knights of St John, today known as the Knights of Malta. In the early 1300s, the then King of France, Philippe Auguste, decided to do away with the Templars – to who he owed a lot of money, completely by coincidence – and take over their extensive lands and wealth in France. For this he needed the support of the Pope, and King and Pope gathered here in Poitiers to negotiate the deed, and then summoned the Templar leadership to Poitiers for “questioning”. It did not end well for the knights. The Knights of Malta wound up with a fair part of the Templars’ assets, some of which were used to built the mansion in Poitiers, from which they supervised their property throughout southern and western France. From the front which you see here on the Grand’ Rue, the Knights’ complex continued down much of the Rue Montgautier, and has since been divided into private houses. The Templars themselves were just up the street, as we shall soon see.
At the corner of the Rue Arsene-Orillard, at #177, is yet another old house with a claim to historical fame. This 15th century mansion (map G) was once the Hotel de la Rose. The Hotel de la Rose was privy to the momentous passage of Joan of Arc in Poitiers, and was the place from where she set out to reconquer France from the English, for God and her King, in that order. We already met the Paris-less King of France, or “King of Poitiers”, Charles VII, down the street at #118. After Henry V’s famous victory (and speech) at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 (“once more into the breach…”), the English and their Burgundian allies controlled the north of France, including Paris, along with much of the southwest and present-day Burgundy. Things looked pretty hopeless for Charles VII until young Joan appeared in 1429, reporting to have heard the voice of God commanding her to take charge of the royal troops, drive out the English, and restore the King. Nothing less. The Parliament and the regime’s theologians were all in Poitiers, and to there she was summoned for examination in February. By the end of March, the King’s counselors had concluded Joan had heard voices commanding her to take charge of the royal troops, drive out the English, and restore the King, and who knows, maybe it was God? There weren’t too many better options. On March 29 Joan mounted her white horse in front of #177, Grand’ Rue, and set out for Orleans, victory, fame, betrayal and burning at the stake (for more on this story, see “Joan of Arc and the King of Poitiers“). The Hotel de la Rose here on the Grand’ Rue, and the site at #49 Rue de la Cathedrale (now the Cité Jeanne d’Arc, a University residence) vie for the honor of being the location of where the Maid of Orleans stayed while in Poitiers.
At the next corner, with the Rue Scevole Ste Marthe, began the domain of the Order of the Knights Templar in Poitiers, extending from the coffee shop on the corner and continuing most of the way down the street to the Rue de la Cathedrale, where the Templar treasure house was located. Vast subterranean passages linked different parts of the complex – a perfect setting for eventual writers of medieval mysteries. This was one of the many properties from which the Templars were disposed after the Interrogation of the Grand Master in Poitiers in 1308 (see “The Doom of the Templars”). The Templar Chapel somehow survived until about 1900, renamed as the Ste Marthe Chapel.
Less than a block farther, at #200, a now empty storefront stands where the Boissellerie Leger operated from 1850 until 2005, woodworkers. We’ve signaled the few remnants of the days when The Grand’ Rue was home to a crowd of artisans, makers of chairs, bonnets, oils, hats, mattresses, wooden clogs, cauldrons and more. This artisanal activity on the street goes back not just a century or two, but over a millennium. Back all the way to the year 970 AD (not 1970, but 970), when a manuscript refers to the upper part of the Grand’ Rue as “Rue Fabroria,” or “the street of the blacksmiths.” Poitiers in the Middle Ages was known far and away as a center for the making of armor and swords. Not surprising perhaps with all the battles that took place around here. Hard to buy one of these on the Grand’ Rue nowadays, however.
With that you made it up the long hill of Poitiers’ High Street, and arrived behind one of the most spectacular Romanesque Churches in Europe, Notre Dame-la-Grande (map H).
The chief monument of Poitiers, the current church was built in two stages, with a 12th century façade completed in the days of Alienor of Aquitaine superimposed over an 11th century building. The name may sound misleading, as it is not a grand church in the sense of size, but rather differentiated this church from the no fewer than four other Notre-Dame churches that existed in Poitiers, all of them gone now. A predecessor church occupied this place, and one of the countesses of Poitiers, Eustachie wife of Count Guillaume IV, was buried there in 1037. It is the marvelous façade of Notre-Dame-la-Grande which has drawn art historians and Romanesque lovers from the world around. It is a fascinating work in many ways, including that it is covered by a blossoming of sculptures, yet with no sculptures where they are the most expected. The central portal and entrance, unlike so many Romanesque and Gothic churches (but typical of the Poitou), has no tympanum, and therefore no sculpted story immediately overhead to greet the faithful as they enter; the two side portals not only also have no tympanum, but are completely blind arcades. Yet above these portals, the wall of Notre-Dame seems like one big storybook in stone. Statues of the twelve apostles (plus two bishops) occupy the second and third levels of the façade. Above the portals runs a remarkable frieze with dozens of sculpted characters, beginning on the far left with Adam and Eve, prophets, the Angel Gabriel, the Tree of Jesse, the Visitation, and on the right the Nativity and Baptism of Christ. A fantastic bestiary and various flora surmount the Biblical story. It is possible to trace in the sculptures the work of three different hands. To the first belong all the reliefs to the left of the central portal, also the Joseph and the wrestlers to the right. By the second are the Visitation and the Nativity; and by the third the apostles above. It is evident that the first two masters worked contemporaneously; if the third came later then, it must have been a comparatively short interval of time.
The interior of Notre-Dame is architecturally simple, as the church has no transept bisecting the main nave. The paintings which covered the columns have been recently restored, after several centuries of invisibility. There are also frescoes on the walls of the crypt. Most of the stained glass and statues dates from after the pillage of the 1562 Protestant raid, as is mostly the case for other churches in the city. Look for the 16th century statue of Sainte-Bauduche: it was to her that farmers came to pray for good weather, as well as grooms praying for good weather on their wedding day.
Outside of the church, on the left side of the Square, at the corner with the Rue du Marché-Notre Dame, stood a stone cross which was one of the casualties of the French Revolution. On the right, or north side of Notre-Dame, was where the church’s cloister was until the 19th century. The cloister was itself built on the spot of an old Temple from Gallo-Roman Limonum. In the 20th century this area became one of Poitiers’ major outdoor markets, continuing the tradition of the medieval “new market” established nearby by Alienor of Aquitaine on site of today’s Place de la Liberté. The market has in recent years gained extensive covered space.
As you end the walk, look to the west of the church, where there is on this square another important place for amateurs of the history of Poitiers, Aquitaine, and the Middle Ages: Poitiers’ Municipal Library. Also known as the Mediatheque François Mitterrand, this unique public library has a rich collection of historical documents. These include a Book of the Gospels from the end of the 7th century (yes, the 7th), a work by 10th Century philosopher Pierre Lombard, an 11th century copy of the Life of Sainte Radegonde written by Saint Fortunat, a Papal book of Rites also from the 11th century, various Books of Hours from the 14th to the 16th centuries, and charters signed by Alienor of Aquitaine and various kings of France. Armchair historians can consult several of these ancient documents directly through the Library’s impressive (and free) online collection.
