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Candes-Saint-Martin, most beautiful village
of France

Panorama

Dominating the confluence of the Loire and the Vienne, Candes-Saint-Martin reveals itself as a medieval gem with a breathtaking panorama. Stroll through its cobbled streets lined with tuffeau stone houses. Admire its troglodytic dwellings, witnesses to a unique past. Be surprised by the majestic Collégiale Saint-Martin, an exceptional Gothic monument.

The Village

Candes-Saint-Martin is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department and is one of the most beautiful villages in France. The village houses are magnificent and some date back to the 15th century. Their decoration seems inspired by details, giving their charm to the surrounding Châteaux.

As you go up the village, you will discover troglodyte dwellings located in the cliff. Do not miss the lower street, where the Loire boatmen lived at a time when Candes-Saint-Martin was a fishing port. You will also be able to admire the collegiate church where many Kings of France and England visited.

If you enjoy walking, you can climb the hill overlooking the village and benefit from a splendid view of the roofs and rivers. It is located at the confluence of the Loire and the Vienne, on a hillside that offers visitors a very beautiful viewpoint, especially from the bridge overlooking the Vienne. The church was built at the spot where Saint Martin died in 397.

La CollégiaLe

Candes-Saint-Martin, at the border of the Roman Civitas, the Turons, the Andecaves, and the Pictons, is one of the first rural parishes founded by Bishop Martin of Tours in the last quarter of the 15th century. This strategic location undoubtedly influenced Martin's decision to build a church on this site, inhabited since the early Empire.

The collegiate church of Saint-Martin de Candes is a former collegiate church located in Candes-Saint-Martin in the west of the French department of Indre-et-Loire, in the Centre Val de Loire region.

Magnificent stained glass windows, superb Gothic architecture for this abbey church founded by Saint Martin, Bishop of Tours, and original, remarkably preserved polychrome statues. A visit not to be missed, in the midst of a charming little village also preserved from major tourist influxes.

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