Meung-sur-Loire () is a commune in the

Loiret Loiret (; ) is a department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of north-central France. It takes its name from the river Loiret, which is contained wholly within the department. In 2019, Loiret had a population of 680,434.

department, north-central France. It was the site of the Battle of Meung-sur-Loire in 1429.

Geography

Meung-sur-Loire lies 15 km to the west of

Orléans Orléans (;"Orleans"
(US) and Loire The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhôn ...

at the confluence with the river Mauves. The Mauves, actually three rivers, have their source in the water table of the productive agricultural region of the Beauce. Image:loire meung sur loire.jpg, The Loire at Meung-sur-Loire Image:chmeung.jpg, The Mauve in Meung-sur-Loire

History

There is evidence of

mesolithic The Mesolithic (Greek: μέσος, ''mesos'' 'middle' + λίθος, ''lithos'' 'stone') or Middle Stone Age is the Old World archaeological period between the Upper Paleolithic and the Neolithic. The term Epipaleolithic is often used synonymo ...

settlements at « Mousseau » and « La Haute-Murée ». A

Gallo-Roman Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, language, morals and way of life in a uniquely Gaulish context ...

fortified village recorded as ''Magdunum'' was built in the marais adjoining the river, which in 409 was fired by the invading

Alans The Alans (Latin: ''Alani'') were an ancient and medieval Iranian nomadic pastoral people of the North Caucasus – generally regarded as part of the Sarmatians, and possibly related to the Massagetae. Modern historians have connected the ...

. The marais was drained, according to tradition by

Saint Liphard Saint Liphardus (or Lifard, Lifardo, Lifardus, Lifart, Lifhard, Lifhart, Liphard, Liphart, Lyphard) was a 6th-century lawyer, hermit and abbot in Meung-sur-Loire near Orléans, France. His feast day is 3 June. Guyon's Life Symphorien Guyon (died 1 ...

around the year 520. The canalisation formed the watercourses known as

the mauves ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

. He went on to build the chapel which was to become the monastery and the abbey. His relics were deposited in the church in 1104, the year after Louis VI had founded as fortress. During the 12th century the church was rebuilt in the

gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

style, and fortified accommodation for the abbot built alongside. Jeanne d'Arc visited in 1429, and this was the site of the Battle of Meung-sur-Loire. The complex was restored in 1570, again during the 19th century and again in 1985. The river defined the town, in 1857, 38 mills had the right to use the waters of the rivers to power themselves.

Population

Fiction

In fiction, it has been described by

Alexandre Dumas Alexandre Dumas (, ; ; born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie (), 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas père (where '' '' is French for 'father', to distinguish him from his son Alexandre Dumas fils), was a French writer. ...

in The Three Musketeers as the village where d'Artagnan, en route to join the King's Musketeers in Paris, first encounters the villainous Comte de Rochefort. Also in fiction, Meung-sur-Loire is the country home of Chief Inspector Jules Maigret, Georges Simenon's classic crime fiction character. Maigret and his wife Louise eventually retire to their Meung-sur-Loire home, where he spends his time fishing (pike), and she tends, according to her sister, any number of animals.Maigret Returns

Points of interest

* The town is twinned with Lymm in Cheshire, England *

Arboretum des Prés des Culands The Arboretum des Prés des Culands (2 hectares), also known as the Conservatoire national d'Ilex, is a private arboretum specializing in Ilex (holly) varieties. It is located at La Nivelle, Meung-sur-Loire, Loiret, Centre-Val de Loire, France, an ...

* Château de Meung-sur-Loire

Notable residents

* Jean de Meun (c. 1240 – c. 1305), author of the '' Roman de la Rose'' * Maurice Larrouy (1882–1939), winner of the 1917 Prix Femina, died in Meung

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meung-Sur-Loire Meungsurloire Carnutes