Luxé: Dolmen, Church and Walking Trails

Luxé offers several distinct themes to consider when planning your trip: Neolithic monuments, the Sentier des Dolmens and Eglise Saint Aignan. There is also a Gallo-Roman historical account of La Terne, as well as an area designated for its ecological value. It is helpful to distinguish between them: the dolmen are named monuments, the walking trail has two specified route options, and details about the church’s interior and opening hours are provided. This allows you to plan culture, outdoor activity and a church visit as separate focuses of your stay.

Neolithic Monuments in Luxé

The Neolithic monuments in Luxé include the Dolmen de la Maison de la Vieille, the Dolmen dans le tumulus dit La Motte-de-la-Garde and the Dolmen de la Folatière. Two of these monuments have different official designations: the Dolmen de la Maison de la Vieille has been listed as a historic monument since 23 January 1956; the Dolmen de la Folatière has been classified as a historic monument since 1 October 1957. The dates and designation wording each apply to the dolmen named. For trip planning, it is helpful to distinguish between the three monuments by their different names.

The Sentier des Dolmens

The Sentier des Dolmens starts at Place de l’église. Signs and information boards mark the route. There are two distance options, 10 km and 14 km: the shorter one is four kilometres shorter than the longer one. You can use the distance as a specific point to consider when planning. The named stops along the trail include the Dolmen de la Maison de la Vieille, stop 4, and the Tumulus Motte de la Garde, stop 5. This explicitly links two of the named prehistoric sites to the Sentier. Check the route details and starting point locally before setting out.

Eglise Saint Aignan

Today’s Eglise Saint Aignan was formed by the merging of two neighbouring churches and is dedicated to Saint Aignan. Inside, it houses a fresco, statues and relics. This history and the named features of its interior offer different historical and artistic points of interest for a visit. The church is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. As access information may change, check the current opening hours before your visit.

History and Nature

Another historical perspective concerns La Terne: in Gallo-Roman times, it was an important town with a theatre and a river port. These features make its historical context concrete and distinguish it chronologically from the Neolithic monuments.

Ecological features are also identified. The Prairies de Villorioux et de Luxé is designated in Luxé as a type 1 ZNIEFF, a natural area recognised for its ecological value. The Natura 2000 site Vallée de la Charente en amont d’Angoulême has 150 km of walking and mountain-biking trails. This distance refers to the Natura 2000 site; the Sentier des Dolmens, by contrast, has its own specified route options of 10 and 14 km. The two figures give you different scales to consider when planning walking and cycling activities.

Discover more destinations: Poullignac, Saint-Même-les-Carrières, Marsac, Garat, Verteuil-Sur-Charente, Chillac, Triac-Lautrait, Rouillac

For the broader travel overview: Charente.