If you think of Montmorillon, you probably think of books. This modest town with its 6,500 souls is located on the River Gartemp in the east of La Vienne (86), and in fact calls itself the Ville d’Art et d’Histoire. But is better known as La Cité de l’écrit et des métiers du livre, or the City of Writing and Bookmaking or the Village of the Written Word. Apart from its devotion to writing Montmorillon and the area around it offers plenty of others things to do and see.

What to Do and See

The Medieval Centre

The Cité referred to isn’t the whole town, but the medieval core, much of which was purchased and refurbished by the town, starting in 2000. It is here that the town comes alive to the sights, sounds and smells of the book and writing trade.

In this old town above the old (northern) bridge of Montmorillon, there is a fascinating selection of narrow streets bordered by small, often pokey but picturesque enterprises concerned with calligraphy, bookbinding, antique and used bookselling (and buying), illustration and other bookish pursuits. If you like books, it’s an exhilarating place to nose about in – fusty, almost Dickensian.

Were it not for the determinedly modern dress of the townsfolk, you’d expect to bump into Scrooge or Mr Pickwick. But this isn’t a museum; it’s a working homage to book-related trades so nearly lost.

The Church of Notre Dame and the Chapel of Saint-Laurent

Both are well-preserved and deserving of attention. However, the Religious Wars took their terrible toll of the town – the last traces of the medieval château were lost and the magnificent Maison Dieu was razed utterly. Happily, it was subsequently rebuilt by Augustinian monks and stands to this day. Its fortunes improved slightly after the Revolution, and it is now a sub-prefecture for La Vienne.

The curious 12th century chapel called the Octogone offers a wealth of early medieval stone sculpture, but is most noted for its octagonal shape, unique in Europe and inspired by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, in direct contrast to the almost universal cruciform plans of churches built at that time.Quite a body of myths has sprung up about this edifice, including some pretty grisly funerary rites and tales of bodies bricked up in the walls.

There is a wealth of historic and ecclesiastic architecture scattered around Montmorillon, but a must-see is the church of Notre-Dame and especially its Crypt of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, the walls of which are decorated with splendid frescoes relating to this 3rd century saint who was to be martyred by being broken on a spiked wheel. Instead, the story goes, the wheel broke when she touched it, and she was then beheaded. Hence the Catherine wheel.

The Monastery

The sprawling Maison Dieu, built as a monastery and hospital in the 11th century, offers towers, gardens, dungeons and chapels – and the Chauffoir, an outbuilding constructed in 1639 as a welcome house for the poor, pilgrims, or ‘strangers’ – the only heated part of the entire complex. Guided tours are available.

Typewriter museum

Those nostalgic for the days of the old typewriter will find plenty to delight them at the typewriter museum – the Musée de la Machine à écrire – which is at the heart of the Cité. It has more than 150 old typewriters and calculators, many of them more than a hundred years old. Telephone +33 5.49.91.22.94 for more information.

The Theatre

There’s also something for theatre buffs in Montmorillon: the Théâtre de la Cité on Rue Champien in the old quarter. This tiny theatre only seats 50, but since 2009, Laurent Flodrops, presides over a full programme of performances and teach-ins, and presents such French stars as Fred Abrachkoff and the Footsbarn Travelling Theatre company. There’s always something going on, and it’s well worth the stroll over. Telefone information and reservations on +33 5 6 33 89 26 93 or 06 06 46 48 87 or e-mail th.cite@orange.fr

Visiting in June? Go to the book fair

If you can be in town in June, get involved in the Salon du Livre – the book fair – which takes place every two years (in even numbered years). Eighty authors in residence, readings, exhibitions, teach-ins – you name it, if it’s books, it’ll be here. For more info, telephone +33 (05)5 49 91 06 08 or e-mail salondulivre@montmorillon.fr

What to see and do near Montmorillon

With Poitiers only 50km northwest up the N147, the Montmorillonais have easy access to their departmental and regional capital, with all its facilities and attractions. Even though the two cities are neck-and-neck in the church architecture stakes, Poitiers has Futuroscope after all, just a few kilometres to its north, as well as a TGV station, airport (Poitiers-Biard) and access to the main north-south motorway, the N10/A10.

Eco-museum at Juillé. Just 5km south of Montmorillon is the Ecomusée, devoted to rural life, agriculture and the history of the area, and especially the relationship between town and country. It’s closed in January and February. Tel: 05.49.91.02.32

Chauvigny, 30km north of Montmorillon, is a fascinating town, the oldest section built on cliffs high above the River Vienne. It also has a fine Saturday morning market.

Civaux, 20km west of Montmorillon and likewise on the River Vienne, is the site of an enormous Merovingian cemetery containing 20,000 sarcophagi. For those with more modern appetites, guided tours are available – not of the huge nuclear power station on the river (you can see the steam plumes of the mighty cooling towers all over eastern Vienne) – but of a simulation of the centre.

Only open since 2008, the nearby Planète des Crocodiles is a transparent-domed park in which more than 200 crocs, alligators and gharials (or gavials – they’re the ones with thin snouts) may be observed at close range in almost natural habitats.

And finally, just a few kilometres past L’Isle-Jourdan, 30km south of Montmorillon, is the racing car track at Le Vigeant, where modern and veteran cars – including the local fleet of Ferraris – can be seen racing and on the paddock.

Getting to Mortmorillon

Mortmorillon is only 50km from Poitiers-Biard airport, and is served by the TER trains of both Poitou-Charentes and Limousin. Limoges is only 90km away, and Montmorillon is on the direct Poitiers-Limoges line. Local roads are extremely good, and the N147 northwest from nearby Lussac to Poitiers is almost dead straight.

More information:
La Préface is the main information centre for the Cité de l’écrit – it stands for le Point Accueil de la Cité de l’Ecrit.
3, rue Bernard Harent.

Tel: +33 5 49 83 03 03
E-mail: cite-de-lecrit@wanadoo.fr

Photo 1 by Pays Montmorillonnais / CC BY 2.0 image cropped; Photo 2 and Photo 3 by Magali RENARD / CC BY 2.0 images cropped