TALES & LEGENDS OF GRAND POITIERS
2,000 years of history and some notable passages
The region keeps the memory of public figures who made its reputation and notoriety for their noticed passage.
La Grand'Goule
At the time of Sainte-RadegondeThe depths of the river Clain were home to a terrifying beast. A sort of winged dragon, its mouth with sharp fangs gave it its name ("goule" means "mouth" in Poitevin dialect). Whenever the waters rose, it would emerge from the labyrinthine cellars, frightening and devouring the nuns of Sainte-Croix Abbey.
Armed with a cross and holy water, Radegonde confronted the beast, which disappeared in agony.
Today, his statue can be found at the Holy Cross Museum in Poitiers.
The legend of the snake fairy in Lusignan
Cursed by her mother, Mélusine is condemned to live eternally, seeing her legs turn into a monstrous snake tail every Saturday. She agrees to marry Raymondin on condition that he promises never to seek her out on that cursed day. Having become the most powerful lord of Poitou, the jealousy-ridden husband ends up transgressing the forbidden. When his secret is revealed, Mélusine flies out of the window with a terrible cry. It is said that her tears made a spring gush out in the park of Curzay castle. Since this sad episode, the fairy returns to haunt Lusignan, the theatre of her destiny.
Our Belgian friends
We don't want you to have to go to the police station in Poitiers for any other reason than to admire the Manneken-Pis. No, this is not a Belgian story. One of the six copies of the sculpture of the famous little boy taking a pee was, in fact, offered to the Poitiers police officers in 1950 by their Brussels counterparts. This recognition reminds us that Poitiers was the Belgian capital for 26 days, from May 23rd to June 17th 1940.
Bigorne
La Bigorne was a fantastic creature with the body of a lion, the enormous head of a black goat with oversized horns, and six feathered legs with fearsome talons. It lived in the well of the Donjon in Chauvigny, and fed on husbands who commanded their wives.
Another creature called the Liche-galernewith a crocodile-like body, a hawk's head and two strong, clawed legs, lived with her and fed on the women who were submissive to their husbands.
To get rid of these monsters, the inhabitants of the medieval city decided that some should stop commanding and others obeying.
Freedom replaces the pillory
Yes, it looks like its New York model. Only smaller. Like Bartholdi's statue, it lights up the world. The Statue of Liberty on the square of the same name (formerly the Place du Pilori) was inaugurated on July 14, 1903 in Poitiers. Financed by the Masonic lodges of Poitiers and Neuville, it was the scene of an internal struggle.
Poor mule
On this same Place de la Liberté, look up to the second floor of the Hôtel de la Prévôté. A strange horseshoe is housed there. Supposedly the remnant of a sad news item that occurred around 1775, in which a load of gunpowder carried by a mule exploded. One can imagine the violence of the explosion... which only claimed one victim: the mule.
Many thanks
Inside the church of Sainte-Radegonde in Poitiers, 3,000 ex-votos bear witness to the Poitevins' gratitude to Poitiers' patron saint. We invite you to spot two of them. The first dates from 1658: a statue of Radegonde with the features of Anne of Austria.
Created by the sculptor Legendre, it was commissioned by the Queen in gratitude for the recovery of her son, the future King Louis XIV. The second, more discreet, dates back to 1919: "Merci pour la grande guerre", signed P. de la R. A tribute from Raymond Poincaré, President of the Republic at the time.
Gargantua and its rock
From a distance, it looks like a rock. Nothing more, nothing less. But if you venture to the Pont Joubert (down the Grand'Rue) in Poitiers and climb the escalier des dunes, you'll notice that, in profile, the pebble sports an open mouth and a nose that Cyrano would not disavow. It's known as Gargantua's chair. Legend has it that Rabelais' giant used to sit on this rock, dangling his legs to dip his feet in the Clain...
Want to play with all these legends and invent your own? Come and discover our Tales and Legends of Grand Poitiers card game, designed by Valentin Gaudicheau and illustrated by Claire Gravelines, available in all Grand Poitiers tourist information office stores (except Saint-Benoît)!
