Poitiers

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A general view of the city of Poitiers with the cathedral of Saint Pierre at the top of the hill, Poitiers, Vienne, Poitou-Charentes, France, Europe

Getty Images/Robert Harding World Imagery

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Overview

History-steeped Poitiers was founded by the Pictones, a Gaulish tribe, and rose to prominence as the former capital of Poitou. A pivotal turning point came in AD 732, when somewhere near Poitiers (the exact site is not known) the cavalry of Charles Martel defeated the Muslim forces of Abd ar-Rahman, governor of Córdoba, thus ending Muslim attempts to conquer France. Until the Revolution, this sublimely beautiful city was known as the 'town of 100 bell towers'; the remarkable Romanesque churches that remain today are in part a legacy of Eleanor of Aquitaine's financial support.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Église Notre Dame la Grande

Poitiers

The celebrated western façade of this Romanesque church was exquisitely sculpted in soft gold stone between 1115 and 1130. Spot the temptation of Adam and…

Palais de Justice

Poitiers

Today it houses the law courts, but nearly a thousand years ago this stunning building was the seat of the Counts of Poitou and Dukes of Aquitaine. Its…

Musée Ste-Croix

Poitiers

The 1970s Brutalist architecture of this art museum, built from reinforced concrete, is a shock after the elegance of its ancient episcopal neighbours…

Cathédrale St-Pierre

Poitiers

The town's grand Gothic cathedral safeguards beautiful 13th-century oak-carved choir stalls, an 18th-century organ with more than 3000 pipes and…

Baptistère St-Jean

Poitiers

Constructed in the 4th and 5th centuries on Roman foundations, this ginger-stone baptistery formed part of the episcopal ensemble with the cathedral, 100m…

Église St-Hilaire le Grand

Poitiers

Consecrated in 1049, used as a warehouse during the Revolution and partly rebuilt in the 19th century, this grandiose Romanesque church appears on Unesco…

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