Rivers of France...

… I’m heading out of Vendôme for this week's post about my travels along the route of the river Le Loir. Come with me as I take you to the sleepy little town of Montoire-sur-le-Loir...

The river Le Loir flows west out of Vendôme and meanders its way along the valley bottom, followed by two minor roads, the D5 on the north bank and the D917 on the south. It’s about 20 kilometres along the southern road from Vendôme through open, rolling countryside covered with fields.

I park between the station and the main shopping area of the town. With a population of just under 4,000, it has a thriving market. The central square is full of vans selling all kinds of goods. I can’t stop myself from having a wander, and as I stroll through the lines of vehicles I find a baker’s shop on one side of the square. A visit there and lunch is easily sorted.

As such, there doesn’t seem to be much to see here. But hidden away on rue St Gilles is one of the tiny frescoed churches of the Loir valley. Constructed in the 11th century, it became the priory of the poet Pierre de Ronsard from 1566 until his death in 1585. Ronsard was known in his own lifetime as the ‘prince of poets.’ He became the leader of the group of seven French poets referred to as the Pléiade. That name being a reference to the much earlier seven Alexandrian tragedians and poets who were named after the star cluster, Pleiades. So, this town may be small, but it has some mighty hidden connections. It is possible to visit the tiny church and see the 12th-century frescoes, but you have to make arrangements in advance.

Another thing about Montoire is that it hosted some meetings in October 1940. Perhaps not such a momentous occasion, you might think. But when you take into account that France was occupied at that time, the Vichy government was trying to find its place, and its authority following the occupation, and you realise that what happened here was of grave importance. But who met who here? On October 22nd, Hitler met with Pierre Laval. Hitler was on his way to meet General Franco, and Laval found himself summoned to the station in Montoire. Two days later, when Hitler was travelling back he met with Philippe Pétain, the appointed leader of the Vichy government, in the same location. These meetings are often cited as the beginning of the policy of collaboration that continued throughout the occupation.

Would anyone visiting realise the very important piece of history that was enacted here? Probably not; it’s such a sleepy little place. But there is a photograph of Pétain shaking Hitler’s hand, and a few days later, on October 30th, Pétain declared in a speech that things would change for France...

You can catch up with my earlier posts by clicking the links Le Loir Châteaudun Vendôme and my previous post is Here