Lavardin is a commune in the

Loir-et-Cher Loir-et-Cher (, ) is a Departments of France, department in the Centre-Val de Loire Regions of France, region of France. It is named after two rivers which run through it, the Loir in its northern part and the Cher (river), Cher in its southern p ...

department of central

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. It is located on the banks of the river

Loir The Loir is a long river in western France. It is a left tributary of the Sarthe. Its source is in the Eure-et-Loir department, north of Illiers-Combray. It joins the river Sarthe in Briollay, north of the city of Angers. It is indirectly ...

. It is a member of

Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (, ) is an independent association created in 1982 for the promotion of the tourist appeal of small rural villages with a rich cultural heritage. As of 2024, it numbers 176 member villages (independent Communes of France, ''communes'' or part ...

(The Most Beautiful Villages of France) Association.

Population

Sights

Lavardin is classified as one of the most beautiful villages of France thanks to the ruins of its

mediaeval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and t ...

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

(''see main article:

Château de Lavardin The Château de Lavardin is a ruined castle in the village and ''Communes of France, commune'' of Lavardin, Loir-et-Cher, Lavardin in the Loir-et-Cher ''Departments of France, department'' of France. The property of the ''commune'', it has been c ...

''), its Gothic church and frescoes, its houses and the ancient bridge. The village has been frequented by renowned painters since about 1900, most notably Busson and Sauvage.

Early history

Salomon I of Lavardin became lord of Lavardin around 1030, and his descendants ruled there for the next three centuries. The church of St. Genest in Lavardin was built in the mid-to-late eleventh century, but the existence of a prior Merovingian cemetery on the site attests to the village's existence for several centuries prior to Salomon's reign.

Culture

The historical card game of Chouine has had a renaissance in recent years and 'world championships' are currently held annually in the village.''La Chouine''
by Jacques Proust at montoire-sur-le-loir.net (archived). Retrieved 12 April 2023.

References

External links

Official website

Association des plus beaux villages de France: Lavardin
Communes of Loir-et-Cher Plus Beaux Villages de France {{LoirCher-geo-stub