Around the castle

Constructed around 800, the oratory was part of a luxurious Carolingian villa built by Theodulf, a famous intellectual who contributed to the Carolingian renaissance and was Charlemagne’s chief advisor.  This church has a Carolingian mosaic composed of 130,000 small glass cubes. One of a kind in France, on one hand due to its formidable preservation which the restoration has only slightly altered and, on the other hand, due to its atypical item: an open Ark of the Covenant surrounded by angels.

Guided visits of the oratory are offered by the Val d’Or et Forêt Tourist Information Office. You can find out the dates of the guided visits during summer by telephone at 02 38 58 27 97. A tour guide is at the service of groups all year upon request.

Address: 45110 Germigny-des-Près
Telephone: 02 38 58 27 97
Website: https://germigny-des-pres.fr/loratoire

Here, you will enter into one of the most important places of spirituality where meditation and amazement go hand in hand. Situated by a meander of the River Loire, the charming small commune of Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire shelters one of the most beautiful jewels of Roman architecture: a basilica from the 11th and 12th centuries whose porch-tower, decorated with twelve magnificently carved capitals, monumental doorway and nave are its most remarkable features. In the crypt, there is a shrine containing the precious relics of Saint Benedict whose rule still, today, sets the tempo for the life of the monk community.

Address: 45730 Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire
Telephone: 02 38 35 79 00
Website: www.abbaye-fleury.com
 

Built at the beginning of the Renaissance period in the commune of Chilleurs-aux-Bois by Launcelot I, this estate has remained with the family of its builder for more than 235 years. 
Its architecture has evolved throughout time with its successive owners; the castle has been enlarged and embellished. The French Revolution and the two World Wars were periods of destruction and vandalism for the castle. 
Surrounded by a park, artificial lake and Renaissance garden, the exteriors of the castle invite the visitor on a bucolic walk in a green surrounding. You will be able to discover a collection of 75 varieties of rose bushes, vegetable gardens and an environment that favours a walk.

Address: Chilleurs-aux-Bois
Telephone: 02 38 39 84 66
Website: www.chateauchamerolles.fr
 

A museum of remembrance which will immerse the visitor in the darkest pages of the history of Loiret.

Telephone: 02 38 94 84 19
Website: www.musee-lorris.fr

With around 10,000 objects and works of art, it traces through its collection the history of hunting and the evolution of its techniques.

Address: Place du château - Gien Telephone: 02 38 67 69 69 Website: www.chateaumuseegien.fr