Sub-prefecture of Maine-et-Loire (49)
Population: 26,000 (Saumurois, Saumuroises), 98,000 in the Communauté d'agglomération de Saumur Val de Loire.
Specialities: wines, sparkling wines, mushrooms, asparagus, Royal Combier liqueur. Galipettes (cooked mushrooms), fouées (galettes), pommes tapées.
Personalities: Richard the Lionheart (buried at Fontevraud), Coco Chanel, Fanny Ardant (actress), Yves Robert (film director), André Auffray (Olympic cycling champion in 1908).
Economy: tourism, shops and services, winegrowing.
Sport: Cadre noir de Saumur shows, equestrian competitions, Olympique Saumur FC, Foulées Saumuroises, Anjou-Vélo-Vintage
Festivals: International Military Music Festival, Giants, Carriages and Masks International Festival; château de Saumur wine festival; Les Grandes Tablées; Beer Fest, etc.
Labels: Ville d'art et d'histoire (City of Art and History); Ville amie des enfants (Children's Friendly City); Cadre Noir, traditional French horse riding, listed as a World Heritage Site; Val de Loire listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site; 54 listed sites.
Websites / FB / Twitter: www.ville-saumur.fr / http://www.agglo-saumur.fr/ / http://www.ot-saumur.fr/ / http://www.anjou-tourisme.com/ / www.mysaumur.fr / facebook.com/MairiedeSaumur / @MairiedeSaumur / https://www.facebook.com/Saumur-agglo-871697332907908/ / https://twitter.com/saumur_tourisme / facebook.com/anjou.tourisme / @AnjouTourisme
SAUMUR AND CYCLING
Tenth stage of the 1987 men’s Tour de France: Stephen Roche was the great favourite in this 87.5 km time trial between Saumur and the Futuroscope, the longest in the Tour de France since 1951. And the Irishman delivered. Winner of the two time trials at the Giro, which he won a month earlier, Roche did it again, but without crushing the opposition. Charly Mottet, who took the Yellow Jersey, finished 42 seconds behind and could count on the support of a surprising Marc Madiot in his team. Galvanised by his French champion's jersey, the rider from Mayenne took 4th place in this solo effort, at 1:09. The big losers of the day were Laurent Fignon, 20th at 15 seconds and Colombian Luis Herrera, relegated to more than nine minutes behind. Although Stephen Roche was still only sixth overall, the final time trial in Dijon, two weeks later, gave him victory and his second major Tour of the season, before the consecration of a world title and a treble that he remains the only rider to have achieved alongside Eddy Merckx and Tadej Pogacar.
The last pro race to finish in Saumur was the Tour Région Pays-de-Loire 2024, which was won by New Zealander Michaela Drummond (Arkea-B&B Hotels).
Among the cyclists from Saumur, we should mention pioneer René Salais, who contested four Tours de France in almost twenty years' time (1903, 1908, 1912 and 1922), the last at the age of 48! (if statistics are to be believed...).
SIGHTS
Château de Saumur
Construction: 10th to 16th centuries.
Style: medieval and Renaissance.
History: the origins of the château date back to the 10th century. The keep was built at the beginning of the 12th century, then surrounded by a fortress in the 13th century by Saint-Louis. This fortress consisted of four round towers joined by thick curtain walls. In the 14th century, the building was transformed into a pleasure dwelling by Louis 1st of Anjou, giving the château much of its current silhouette. At the end of the 16th century, extensive ramparts were built around the castle.
Current purpose: since 1912, the château has been home to the Horse Museum, labelled as Musée de France.
Listed as: Historic Monument in 1964.
Cadre Noir of Saumur
The history of the Cadre Noir began in the 19th century. Following the Napoleonic Wars, the French cavalry was decimated. In 1815, a "Mounted Troops School" was set up in Saumur to train instructors for all cavalry corps. A corps of teachers was formed, made up of great civilian squires from the riding schools of Versailles, the Tuileries and Saint-Germain.
The doctrine of the Cadre Noir was founded in 1825 on the academic principles inherited from the Versailles school and then evolved towards a more natural and bold form. In the 20th century, cavalry became mechanised and equestrian sports made their appearance. The Cadre Noir moved towards sport, while continuing to present its collective high school re-enactments. Entrusted to the Ministry of Sport, the National Riding School was created by decree in 1972. It naturally drew on the expertise and knowledge of the Cadre Noir riders, who became its teaching staff. In this way, the Cadre Noir changed its status from military to civilian.
In 2010, the École nationale d'équitation merged with the Haras nationaux (National Studfarms) to become the Institut français du cheval et de l'équitation (French Institute for Horse and Equestrianism), under the dual supervision of the Ministries of Sport and Agriculture.
Traditional French horse riding, practised mainly at the Cadre Noir, was included on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2011.
Le Dôme theatre
Construction: 19th century.
Style: neo-classical.
History: built between 1864 and 1866, the Dome is one of the masterpieces of architect Charles Joly-Leterme. The facades are punctuated by Corinthian colonnades inspired by the 18th century. The interior houses an Italian-style hall. Antoine-Victor Barbereau, known as Saint-Léon, was commissioned to decorate the Italian-style room in 1864. The current ceiling of the Italian-style room was repainted by René Rabault in 1941. Restorations carried out between 2011 and 2014 have modernised the building while respecting its architectural envelope, making it a totally innovative venue.
Listed as: Historic Monument in 2012.
Royal Abbey of Fontevraud
Construction: 12th to 19th centuries.
History: founded in 1101 by Robert d'Arbrissel and located in Fontevraud, near Saumur, it is one of the largest monastic cities in Europe. Initially a mixed monastery, welcoming both men and women, and later enlarged into a double monastery in the spirit of the Gregorian reform, Fontevraud Abbey attracted the protection of the Counts of Anjou and then the Plantagenêts dynasty, who made it their necropolis. After a decline from the 13th century onwards, the abbey was ruled for almost two centuries by abbesses from the Bourbon royal family. The French Revolution brought a definitive end to the religious establishment, which was transformed into a prison until 1963 (where French resistance fighters were imprisoned during the war).
Current purpose: since then, the abbey has been an Ideal City, combining heritage and contemporary artistic creation. The largest monastic city in Europe, the Abbey is the necropolis of the Plantagenet dynasty, housing the recumbent figures of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Richard the Lionheart.
Listed as: Historic Monument in 1840 and 1962. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with the entire Val de Loire site.
Château de Montreuil-Bellay (17 km away)
Construction: 11th to 17th centuries.
History and features: the feudal castle of Montreuil-Bellay was built around 1025. The lords flanked the fortress with elegant buildings based on large vaulted cellars dating from the 15th century. The new castle and collegiate church, the canons' dwelling and the drying rooms (exhibitions) date from the 15th and 16th centuries. The château is fully furnished. It is also a wine-growing estate worth discovering.
Listed as: Historic Monument in 1979.
Village of Turquant (10 km away)
Between Montsoreau and Saumur, the tufa cliffs overhang the Loire and are pierced from one end to the other by a series of caves, sometimes troglodytic dwellings, sometimes quarries. Turquant is the place to discover the characteristic landscape of the Saumur region; the troglodyte dwellings of this Small City of Character are full of originality, particularly at the Art and Crafts Market.
TO DRINK
Saumur wines
Situated south of the banks of the Loire, the Saumur vineyards stretch from Gennes to Montsoreau and from Saumur to Montreuil-Bellay. Forming the eastern part of the Anjou vineyards, it enjoys a climate that is ideal for growing vines. The special feature of its terroir is the tuffeau stone, which has been used to build numerous houses and châteaux. Hundreds of kilometres of underground galleries carved out of the tufa stone have become living quarters, and later winemaking and wine-preserving sites, providing the ideal setting for unusual visits throughout the Saumur region. The Saumur region is renowned for the diversity of its wines: a range of 7 AOCs, all with different colours and characteristics (white, red, rosé, sparkling, sweet). The Saumur winegrowers' commitment to biodiversity and landscapes, listed by UNESCO, makes it a natural choice for gourmet tourism.
Spread over 3,800 hectares of vineyards, Saumur produces 200,000 hl of wine a year, totalling 28 million bottles.