Discover Meillard: château, church and wine-growing landscape

Meillard offers several distinct points of interest for a stay: medieval and Romanesque architecture, memorial sites commemorating the Resistance, as well as winegrowing and crafts. Each theme comes with different visiting conditions. Guided tours at Château des Aix depend on the schedule; the steles and Église Saint-Martin each have their own access rules. When planning your trip, it is therefore helpful to take your preferred indoor visits and memorial events into account separately.

Château des Aix and Église Saint-Martin

Château des Aix is a medieval fortress dating from the 13th century. Its courtyard forms a terrace above water-filled moats; together, the courtyard and moats shape its architectural impression. Guided tours include the restored interiors and grounds, but are subject to the relevant schedule. If you would like to see the interiors, check the available tour times in advance.

Église Saint-Martin has a nave with three bays dating from the 12th century. Its projecting Romanesque transept dates from the 15th century and was extended to the south. The church can be viewed from outside, with the help of an information board. A visit to the interior is possible during the European Heritage Days and therefore depends on the programme for that year. This distinction is important when planning: an outdoor visit and an indoor visit are subject to different timing conditions.

Memorial sites and commemorative events

The Stèle de La Pièce Plate marks the clearing where the first camp of Camp Hoche was established in the exact location in spring 1943. The stele is on private land and is accessible only on the occasion of the commemorative ceremony held on the second Sunday in May. Check the arrangements for the year before you travel. The Stèle de Chapillière honours the Resistance fighters of Maquis Hoche and Danièle Casanova. A commemorative ceremony is held at this stele every year on the second Sunday in May; check the programme before your trip. The two sites thus offer different historical points of reference, while the May date is relevant to both.

Wine-growing landscape and crafts

The Circuit de la Rivière à la Vigne 1 trail passes through Meillard’s unspoilt landscapes and, from Meillard, through the wine-growing landscape within the AOP Saint-Pourçain protected designation of origin area. Domaine de Bellevue owns a 22-hectare vineyard in Meillard, where it grows Tressallier, an old local grape variety. The Pétillat family has cultivated the vines for four generations. A visit to the vineyard introduces visitors to the family’s traditional expertise and to wine bearing the AOP Saint-Pourçain designation; visits are subject to the dates listed in the programme.

Crafts are another part of the local offering: the Le Petit Ours pottery is known for throwing, modelling and glazing with clay from the Netherlands. Together with the wine-growing landscape, it offers a different focus from the area’s architectural and commemorative history. When choosing your visits, you can therefore decide how much emphasis to place on architecture, memorial sites, winegrowing and crafts. For scheduled tours and commemorative events, it is worth checking the relevant programmes before your trip.

Discover more destinations: Thionne, Gannay-Sur-Loire, Poëzat, Besson, Saint-Germain-De-Salles, Saint-Menoux, Châtel-Montagne, Serbannes.

For the broader travel overview: Allier.