Saint-Maixent-L'Ecole

At the height of the Haut Val de Sèvre

The town was founded in the 5th century by the monk Agapit. Its old streets, medieval houses and magnificent abbey church deserve the interest of the visitor. The town, Denfert Rochereau's homeland, benefits from a long military history. Its academy trains a big part of Non-Commisioned Officers of the French Army. Saint-Maixent-L'Ecole area, served by the A 10 motorway (exits 31 and 32) and the TGV and smaller railways Paris-La Rochelle, presents many facilities for industry and craft. The town, near the Marais Poitevin and the Atlantic Ocean (1 hour to get the seaside), is the starting-point of many tourist tours in Haut Val de Sèvre allowing you to enjoy marvellous forests, walks along the Sèvre Niortaise river, discovery of many historic and prehistoric sites. Hotels, restaurants, gîtes (self-catering accommodations in the country) and comfortable campsites wait for you to make your journey more pleasant.

The abbey church of Saint-Maixent-L'Ecole is from the 17th century, built in a beautiful gothic style by the duke known as "Toscane" who worked for maurists monks. The abbey church was rebuilt on romanesque foundations. Both styles give us a remarkable monument for its magnificence as much for its size, as the wealth of its Romanesque capitals and its beautiful woodworks, stalls and mercies.

National museum. It is normal to find a military museum in a military town such as Saint-Maixent-L'Ecole. It is therefore usual to visit it ... especially because it is excellent ... It is located in the surroundings of former barracks, "caserne Marchand", themselves located in the ancient castle place. There are several rooms : - Room of the 114th R.I. (Infantry Regiment), traditional regiment in the Deux-Sèvres. - Room with the seniors' memories who have won renown since the academy has been established. - Room with sponsors' relics of the different Non-Commissioned Officers graduatings. - Room relating the Non-Commissioned Officer's uniform story (with personal arming) from the monarchy to nowadays. It is a beautiful museum for those who love "the Army" and our national history.