Each year, the villages of Roannais come alive to offer you guided tours and help you discover or rediscover their history and heritage. Take advantage of these visits to appreciate the beauty of Saint-Jean-Saint-Maurice-sur-Loire, Le Crozet, Saint-Haon-le-Châtel, Ambierle and many more…
Coordinated by the Roanne Tourist Office, 2 guided tour programs are offered for 2024. Among all the programming, heritage is highlighted through village visits. They can be booked online in just a few clicks. So don't wait any longer and choose your favorite visit below.
Villages with or without a label of character, the Roannais region is full of treasures! Explore them by following local guides who will share with you their passion for the heritage and history of their village.
Culture
Culture
Culture
Culture
Villages of Character in the Loire
- Ambierle : Come stroll through the heart of a thousand-year-old Cluniac priory, at the origin of the wine-growing development of the Côte Roannaise, where all its mysteries will be revealed to you. Ambierle is also the book village, the Maison de Pays and the Alice Taverne museum. In July, you will exceptionally have access to the large company lounge of the last of the priors ofAmbierle as well as the prioral supplier. At the end of the visit, those who wish can learn about monastic calligraphy!
![La toiture du prieuré d'Ambierle au coeur du village d'Ambierle]()
The roof of the Priory of Ambierle © Evelyne Deveaux ![Cloître du Prieuré d'Ambierle dans le département de la Loire]()
Cloister of the Priory of Ambierle © Clovis Huet / RT ![La toiture du prieuré d'Ambierle au coeur du village d'Ambierle]()
The roof of the Priory of Ambierle © Evelyne Deveaux
- The Crozet: Stop of the great Royal and Bourbonnais road with its cobbled streets, its interior courtyards, its medieval and Renaissance residences, its museum of Art and Popular Traditions. The Crozet it’s also… The glass village and its biennial at the end of August.
- Perrous : Perrous, it is the former stronghold of the lords of Beaujeu with its keep, its old feudal gate and its half-timbered houses. It is also a hilly countryside on the banks of the Loire and in the foothills of Beaujolais.
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Perreux © Julien Bonnefoy ![]()
Perreux © Stéphane Archambault ![Vieille tour féodale à Perreux]()
Old feudal tower in Perreux © Annick Monroe
- Saint-Haon-le-Chatel : Historical and heritage walk in the streets, the ramparts, the church of Saint-Haon-le-Châtel. The visit will end in the Fleur de Lys district, in the old house of Petit Chateaumorand.
- Saint-Jean-Saint-Maurice-sur-Loire : A veritable balcony overlooking the Loire, the village of St-Jean-St-Maurice-sur-Loire has a picturesque heritage with its narrow streets and its keep, the village church and its exceptional medieval paintings. This year again, come and discover the Mure Chantois manor house in which there is a superb fireplace… Saint-Jean-St-Maurice-sur-Loire it is also la Cure, tourist and cultural center, its nursery of artistic crafts and the know-how of artisans.
The other towns
- Covers : Discover the heritage of the village, its famous children and its magnificent panoramas. The visit will take you from the “Notre-Dame-de-Prompt-Secours” chapel, with access to the summit, to the village square via a visit to the church. Those who wish will be able to take advantage of the exhibition of documents, manuscripts, photos, at the headquarters of the association.
- Lay : From its dominant position at the top of its hill, the village of lay has spanned the centuries. Come discover, through the still present traces of the various periods from the Roman occupation to the industrial era, including the Middle Ages, the history of this beautiful village.
- Saint-André-d'Apchon : The church with glazed tiles and beautiful stained glass windows dominates the village. The remarkable history of the painting “The Tragedy of Lucretia”, from the beginning of the 16th centurye century, will be revealed to you. You will also discover the beautiful houses of the village and its castle.
![Château de Saint-André d'Apchon dans le département de la Loire]()
Castle of Saint-André d'Apchon © Guillaume Masseron / RT ![Le bassin au coeur de Saint-André-d'Apchon]()
The basin in the heart of Saint-André-d'Apchon © Guillaume Masseron / RT
- Villerest : Rediscover the medieval town, with its ramparts, its half-timbered houses and its very long history on the banks of the Loire... And of course, the XNUMXth century Saint-Sulpice chapele century, the Time and Fire Museum, the dam and its lake!
The know-how & heritage of the municipalities
- Champoly, the Cornes d'Urfé volunteer site : Discover this fortress from an original angle. That of the restoration by the volunteers of theAssociation for the Renaissance of Urfé. After a historical context, discover the traditional techniques used. Understand the technical challenges and discuss with the volunteers. They are committed to keeping our heritage alive and perpetuating it for future generations.
- Musée Déchelette, the museum’s reserves: Come and discover behind the scenes of Joseph Déchelette museum where operations as secret as they are fascinating take place, such as inventory, proofing or conservation of collections. An encyclopedic museum, the collections in reserve are varied and require constant attention.
- From Rodumna to Roanne: Le old center opens its doors to you! Discover the vestiges of the Gallo-Roman past which blend harmoniously with the contemporary dynamism of current Roanne. Meet on Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. from mid-July to the end of August 2024.
- Saint-Forgeux-Lespinasse, The Mill of Lespinasse : Discover the Lespinasse mill, 500 years of serving the population. After producing flour for livestock and people, it ensures the transition between the past and the future by now providing renewable hydroelectric energy, self-consumed by the inhabitants of the hamlet.
