Heritage & Troglodyte

Troglodytes: The Underground Kingdom

The Loire Valley is home to the largest concentration of troglodyte sites in Europe. And it is Saumur Val de Loire which has the largest network of these galleries dug into the rock! Let yourself be tempted by an exceptional journey underground, where history often meets poetry.

The history of the troglos of Saumur Val de Loire

More than 1500 years ago, our ancestors had already dug the soft rock to create refuges there. But most of the troglodytes are old extraction quarries, exploited from the 15th century. The tufa, a white and friable limestone rock, and the falun, a sedimentary rock easy to work, were then transported by the Loire to construction sites in the region, such as that of Nantes Cathedral.

At the end of the 19th century, the activity was abandoned but not the troglodytes! Men transform them into dwellings, wine cellars or mushroom houses...

Hillside troglodyte or plain troglodyte?

You can discover two kinds of troglodytes during your stay:

Hillside troglodytes, around Saumur, are dug horizontally in the cliff.

While walking along the Loire, observe all the windows pierced in the hillside... Houses that look like a village of goblins, don't you think? But not only ! Majestic stately homes have also been carved into the rock, such as La Grande Vignolle in Turquant.

The lowland troglodytes, in the region of Doué-la-Fontaine, are dug vertically. The inhabitants began by digging a courtyard, around which they then dug dwellings and other places of life... The troglodyte village of Louresse-Rochemenier thus has two farms and even... a cathedral!

The troglos: a living heritage!

And today ? The troglodytes leave no one indifferent… True invitations to introspection and daydreaming, objects of curiosity whose mystery we want to unravel, the troglos lend themselves to all activities!

Unusual gîte, wine cellar that you can cycle through, intimate restaurant or art gallery with an organic atmosphere, set off to explore the depths of Saumur Val de Loire!