Guided tour of the village of Preuilly-sur-Claise
Preuilly was an important village under the Ancien Régime, seat of a barony and a Benedictine abbey. In the 19th century, the city became an active and rich centre of commerce. On the south-facing slope of the Claise valley, the castle dominates the hillside and below the abbey is bathed by the river. Many streets and alleys, sometimes steep, connect each other.
One discovers the remains of the monastery, the beautiful home of the abbot, around the imposing abbey church of the twelfth century, facing him an elegant mansion of the eighteenth century, further an unfinished castle of the seventeenth, La Rallière, which could have been another Cheverny if its builder was not assassinated. Further up, rise the turrets of the 16th century home of Protestant pastors, Preuilly having been for nearly half a century a "new Geneva".
The upper part of the village and the foot of the castle are lined with small houses typical of the south of Touraine and private mansions with their turret of staircase located on the inner courtyard.
The gable of the former church of Notre-Dame-des-Échelles offers a large Gothic window, next to it, a pretty Renaissance house with an arched facade. On the way down, you can admire the opulent facades of the rich traders of the 19th century Preuilly, and some mansions of the same period, such as the current town hall.
Come and discover the streets, churches, mansions and castles of Preuilly-sur-Claise, counting on its territory no less than 10 Historical Monuments!