Brantôme Things to Do

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Walk along the lovely River Dronne past the Abbey St. Pierre until you come to the small garden at the south side. You will see the Medici Fountain on your right and the Tour St. Roch on your left followed by the Renaissance Pavilion with a portal giving onto the bridge to the Jardin des Moines.

If you look to your right as you cross the bridge, you will see the lovely Moulin d'l Abbaye, a charming (and expensive) restaurant on the riverbank. On the far side is the Jardin des Moines, a very nice garden along the riverbank where you can feed the ducks.

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After you walk through the church, the cloisters, the abbey and the caves, enjoy the small garden adjoining the abbey. You can see the Tour St. Roch and the Renaissance Pavilion and to your right is the beautiful Medici Fountain set against the cliffside.

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One visits Brantôme in order to visit the famous Benedictine Abbey sitting on the river. You may visit the church, the cloisters and the troglodyte (cave) section. The church and cloisters are free; the abbey was closed the day we were there and I am pretty sure there is a charge to visit the inside and the caves since they were well-fenced off.

You can walk through the gardens and see the Medici Fountain, the Tour (tower) St. Roch, the Renaissance Pavilion and the Condé Bridge and enjoy the Jardin des Moines along the river.

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The church contains some old stone carvings, most notably the 14C relief of the Baptism of Christ and a diptych placed above a stoup made of a 12C capital in a style like the retable behind the altar at St.-Front in Perigueux. Outside of the church embedded in the apse (east) wall are worn primitive carvings from the early church.

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The present church is basically a 14C Gothic Angevin renewal of the 12C dome-vaulted original which sustained damage in the earlier Wars. Later refinement were added and ultimately Abadie in 1850 did his alterations. Use has been made of ancient materials such as a table base in the baptistry and a stoup near the door below a fine carved stone diptych.

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The Abbatial Palace was built in the 17C. It has an 18C staircase, although the lowest level looks much older. The dormitory and refectory were in this building. The building now houses the civic activities: town hall, schools, the Desmoulins Museum, the Tourist Office.

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The Monastery had financial ups and downs through the centuries , especially during the depredations of the English and Religious Wars. From the outset use was made of the more than a dozen caves in the base of the great cliff behind the present palace. Many of these were modified or enlarged to serve as supportive monastic buildings : kitchens, lavoire, chauffeur pigeonnier, etc. Later some served religious purposes (chapels?) and contain crude 15C religious art work on the walls. Each summer a classic dance festival is held in this area.

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Passage through the town presents no obstructions. The houses are old but not distinctive. The church of Notre Dame was begun in the 16C. It is topped by a false watch tower. In 1877 it became the town market when the Abbey church became the town church and the civic functions moved into the palace. The road then passes the North (east) Abbey gate which is still partly in place It was renamed the Porte des Reformes by Coligny.