Richelieu

The City of the Cardinal

The work of Cardinal Richelieu is also the design of the city that bears his name. This gem of 17th-century urbanism, with its unique character, constitutes an exceptional and essential heritage site at the gates of Touraine and the Loire Valley.

In 1631, Armand-Jean du Plessis, Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister of King Louis XIII, obtained the favor to establish within his family property located at the crossroads of Touraine, Anjou, and Poitou, “a town enclosed by walls and ditches and to build a hall”; the ideal city of Richelieu was born!

Regularity and symmetry characterize this new city, surrounded by ramparts and moats, and accessible through three monumental gates. With its Grand street lined with 28 private mansions, its impressively sized halls, its sumptuous Church of Notre-Dame, and its park, it is at once a place steeped in history and a remarkably preserved heritage site.

Take the time to cross the gates of Richelieu. Its visit promises the discovery of exceptional heritage and an atypical atmosphere. It is a charming stop on the route of the Loire castles.

NOT TO BE MISSED

• Guided and dramatized tours
• Market under the Halles every Friday
• Art salon (July 1-2)
• Gourmet Night (August 4)
• Richelieu Music Festival (July 27 to August 6)
• Flea markets (July 14 - August 15 - November 1)
• Find the cultural agenda here

UNMISSABLE SIGHTS

• 17th-century Museum (1^st floor of the Town Hall)
• Richelieu Space
• Church of Notre-Dame
• The Halles
• Richelieu Park
• Richelieu-Chinon Green Way

Nearby

• Château du Rivau
• The medieval city of Chinon and its royal fortress
• Crissay-sur-Manse, one of the most beautiful villages in France
• Rabelais Museum, La Devinière
• Balzac Museum, Château de Saché
• Villaine-les-Rochers troglodyte village and capital of basketry

Available for download

• The green way Richelieu - Chinon
• The cultural agenda - program 2023

CONTACTS

Richelieu Town Hall

Street number: 1 Place du Marché

Postal code/Town: 37120 RICHELIEU

Phone: 02 47 58 10 13

www.ville-richelieu.fr

Tourist Office Azay-Chinon Val de Loire

its phone number: 02 47 58 13 62

www.azay-chinon-valdeloire.com

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