Oiron, Petite Cité de Caractère

Wine village near Thouars Oiron is famous for its prestigious castle built between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries and is considered "the most southerly of the chateaux of the Loire." Its Renaissance arcaded gallery is the oldest part of the castle. It offers one of the most famous examples of murals in the sixteenth. The originality of the place held in its contemporary art collection, inspired by the cabinets of curiosities. Overlooking the village and the castle, the church of Saint-Maurice (sixteenth century) is worth a visit, the presence of the alligator, suspended inside and piously invoked by generations of faithful, remains an enigma.