Poitiers, also known as the city of a hundred steeples, is a city of art, history, legends and culture. Here, in this article, we take a look at this intriguing blend of history and legend. From the Fairy Mélusine to the Devil’s Stairs, let’s discover together these places that deserve to be seen and visited. These stories and legends can be found in Poitiers and Grand Poitiers, which includes 40 communes around Poitiers.
And if you’re feeling peckish, read my article on the culinary specialities of Poitou HERE.
The Legends
The Mélusine Fairy :
Mélusine’s story begins with her mother, the water fairy Pressine, who cursed her three daughters for locking up their father in order to avenge her. As a result, Mélusine received the following curse: every Saturday, her legs turned into a snake’s tail. If anyone caught her in this state, she would never regain her human form.
It was in Poitou that Mélusine met her future husband, Raymondin, nephew of the Comte de Poitiers. He accidentally kills his uncle, and meets the magnificent Mélusine in the forest of Coulombiers, who promises to help him and offers him happiness and wealth if he marries her. By marrying her, he agrees never to see her on Saturdays.
However, between jealousy and curiosity, he breaks his promise and discovers his wife in the bath, with a snake’s tail. The Fairy Mélusine throws herself out of the window with a cry mixing pain and despair.
Mélusine is reputed to have been a fairy builder: she founded Lusignan and its castle, Parthenay, and the walls of La Rochelle.
La Grand’Goule :
Monstrous dragon said to have lived in the 6th century, at the time of Saint Radegonde. It is said that this dragon lived on the banks of the Clain (the river that runs through Poitiers and into the Vienne), and when the waters rose, the monster would enter the labyrinths of the Poitevin underground, particularly the cellars of the Sainte-Croix Abbey, where it devoured the nuns.
Following these multiple disappearances, Sainte Radegonde decided to take action and prayed for several days, then equipped herself with holy bread and a small cross. When she came face to face with the monster, she threw the blessed bread into its neck. The dragon howled in pain and died.
Nowadays:
There’s a nightclub called “La Grand’Goule” right next to the church of Sainte-Radegonde.
The symbol of La Grand’Goule is the emblem of the Stade Poitevin (sports club).
The Beaulieu district has a square called “La place de la Grand’Goule”.
Her wooden effigy can be found in the Musée Sainte-Croix.
The Devil‘s Stairs :
According to the legend, when the church of Saint-Hilaire was being rebuilt, the Devil himself decided to hire himself out as a stonemason under the name of Blaise, with the sole aim of causing harm. He worked badly on purpose, losing tools and so on.
The other workers laughed at him and used him, saying that all the bad work was his fault, which suited everyone. Satan came to think of himself as Blaise, a poor man unable to do evil properly.
One day, a workman, while chipping a corner of the step Blaise was working on, said to him “A sly, sly, sly and half…”. At the word “sly”, the Devil, asleep in Blaise’s body, woke up with a start, and it was then that a huge hole appeared in the bowels of the Earth. The Devil disappeared into the abyss, leaving behind a foul odor that came to be known as the “Devil’s Fart”.
In reality, we’re talking about a bench in the corner of the passageway, also known as the “Banc du Diable” (Devil’s Bench), which would have been built from stone taken from a sarcophagus previously housed in the church of Saint-Hilaire.
The bench was carved from a block of fetid limestone. The smells were reminiscent of hell. The famous Stairway of the Devil takes its name from this local legend.
The Miracle of Keys :
In 1202, the English laid siege to Poitiers. The mayor’s clerk agrees to give the keys of the city to the English for a huge sum of money. In the middle of the night, he goes to the mayor’s room to steal the keys, but to his surprise doesn’t find them.
The mayor wakes up to find that the keys have disappeared. He quickly alerted his army and ran to Notre-Dame-la-Grande church to pray. But to his surprise, he discovered that the statue of the Virgin Mary had the keys in her hand.
Furthermore, during the night, the English killed each other and fled, frightened by the apparitions of the Virgin Mary, Sainte-Radegonde and Saint-Hilaire.
Traces of this legend can be found in a 19th-century stained-glass window and a 17th-century painting in the church.
A statue of the Virgin Mary holding the keys to the town can be seen inside the church. The statue is called Notre-Dame-des-Clefs.
The Legend of the Golden Virgin :
Somewhere between legend and history, because here, it seems, the legend is real.
In Morthemer, in the commune of Valdivienne, in the Poitou region, it is said that during the Hundred Years’ War, the English occupying the castle were dislodged by Du Guesclin. When they left, they reportedly took with them a golden statue of the Virgin Mary from the adjoining church, and hid it in an underground passage to come and retrieve it later. However, they never returned.
Since then, no one knows where she’s hidden, but every time a local discovers an underground passage beneath a house, hope is reborn.
This legend is part of the local heritage, but it seems that it could be true, as it is known that many similar objects were hidden in France during the many wars.
History
The Mule and its Horseshoe :
Well, here, we’re somewhere between history and storytelling :
In the 18th century, a muleteer transporting gunpowder on his back stopped, no doubt to quench his thirst, at the Auberge du Pilori on the Place du Pilori, now known as the Place de la Liberté. Some say that the heat of that day brought flies and the mule kicked his hoof to get rid of them ; but others say that the mule became impatient and kicked the cobblestones several times.
In both cases, the mule kicked its hooves, causing sparks to fly, and as it was loaded with gunpowder, resulting in an explosion.
The poor beast lost his life in the explosion, and his horseshoe was embedded in the wall.
This horseshoe can still be seen in the wall of the Hôtel de la Prévôté on Place de la Liberté.
Here’s a hint : it’s on the 2nd floor, near a window. If you look up you’ll see it.
A Manneken-Pis at the police station :
The story takes us back to the Second World War, in May 1940. Belgium was invaded by the Germans, and the Belgian government sought asylum in France, finding refuge in Poitiers. From then on, Poitiers became the capital of Belgium for 26 days: from May 23 to June 17, 1940.
10 years later, in 1950, the Belgian government decided to present the city of Poitiers with an official replica of the Manneken-Pis in gratitude. It is one of six authorized replicas.
It’s a fine tribute, and to this day it hangs in the hall of the city’s police station (Hôtel de Police).
Don’t hesitate to push open the door of this police station to see it. I promise, you won’t spend the night in a cell 😉
The Cinema Le Castille :
Before it was a cinema, it was a café bearing the same name. The façade features a coat of arms and a coat of arms.
The coat of arms is that of the De Castille family, from which Alphonse De Poitiers, Count of Poitiers and Prince of the Royal Blood, descended. The coat of arms of Poitiers and Poitou can also be seen.
The Statue of Liberty :
Yes, you read that right, we have a Statue of Liberty in Poitiers.
It’s located on the Place de la Liberté. Previously, this square was called “Le Marché Neuf” under Eleanor of Aquitaine around 1159, then “Place du Pilori” under the Ancien Régime, then “Place de la Guillotine” under the Revolution.
It was here, on this square, that criminals were exposed and those condemned to death were executed.
This is what happened to General Berton in 1822, executed for conspiring against the regime. As he died, he shouted “Long live liberty”.
In his honor, the square was renamed Place de la Liberté in 1900, and his Freemason friends had a statue of liberty erected there in 1903.
The Tower of du Cordier :
This tower is located in the center of the Place Jean Berry, more commonly known as the “Porte de Paris”. It is a vestige of ancient medieval fortifications.
Its construction dates back to the 12th century, under Eleanor of Aquitaine. Initially, it was a watchtower.
It was attached to the château comtal, presumed to be triangular and built at the junction of the Clain and Boivre rivers, which was destroyed in 1591.
This famous tower was therefore part of an enclosure.
Arenas in Poitiers :
Built in the 1st century, they could accommodate between 20,000 and 40,000 visitors. The arena was known as the largest amphitheatre in the Roman province of Aquitaine.
However, from the 6th century onwards, the amphitheatre began to be gradually deconstructed.
From time to time, it came back to life, as the city’s defenders used it as an outpost against their enemies during battles over the years.
But as time went on, the stones were used to build several houses, and to provide various building materials.
Sadly, it was almost entirely demolished in the 19th century to make way for a marketplace.
Today, traces of these remains can still be found on Rue Bourcani.
Many of the houses in the town center also house parts of the amphitheatre in their cellars or walls.
If you’re visiting Poitiers, don’t hesitate to download the free “3D Poitiers évolution” application to discover what the old amphitheatre was like.
The Palace of the Dukes of Aquitaine :
This palace, residence of the Counts of Poitou – Dukes of Aquitaine, was built from the 12th century onwards, on the basis of ancient fortifications. Gallo-Roman remains can be found at the foot of the Maubergeon tower, in the Jeanne d’Arc square.
From 1192 to 1204, Eleanor of Aquitaine had the Plantagenet-style Grande Salle, known as the Salle des Pas Perdus, built. With its impressive dimensions for its time: 50 meters long and 17 meters wide, it was considered the largest hall in Europe. It served as a place for feasts, celebrations, life and justice.
In the 14th century, Jean de Berry rebuilt part of the palace, which had been destroyed by fire, in a Gothic style, parts of which can still be seen today, such as the Tour Maubergeon, or the “salle des pas perdus”, which features three monumental fireplaces adorned with Gothic sculptures.
A balustrade was even added in the 19th century.
After the French Revolution, it became the Palais de Justice, where it will remain until 2019. Today, it is open to visitors free of charge, every day.
The Parc of Blossac :
This magnificent place is both a park and a garden. It was laid out by Paul Esprit Marie de la Bourdonnaye, who was Comte de Blossac and King Louis XV’s steward of Poitou between 1753 and 1770. It is located on the former site of an ancient Gallo-Roman necropolis at Blossac-Saint-Hilaire, which was succeeded by arsenals in the Middle Ages.
The 9-hectare site overlooks the Clain valley, and is entirely bordered by the town’s 12th-century ramparts.
It comprises a number of different areas and gardens: a French garden completed in 1770, an English garden created in 1887, the light and shade garden, the rock garden created in 1970, the large meadow and the zoological park.
The wrought-iron entrance gate features the coat-of-arms of the Comte de Blossac.
It’s free and open every day. So, with the fine weather just around the corner, what better way to enjoy a stroll in the Parc de Blossac than to sit on the grass and read a book, or simply take a break and listen to nature.
