Heritage Discovery
Issoire and its history
From Captain Merle (who destroyed the church tower after the Saint Bartholomew's massacre) to Queen Margot (wife of Henri IV imprisoned in the castle at Usson), via Charlemagne and Chancellor Duprat (born in Issoire), the town has known a tumultuous past marked particularly by religious wars. Passionate about history, I would be delighted to share with you my knowledge about the fascinating past of the town and its surrounding region. The story of the town is like an adventure book that we could leaf through together
The surrounding area of Issoire
The most beautiful village of France and Auvergne
Within a 15 Km radius of Issoire are to be found three of the most beautiful villages of France :
Usson : village to which Queen Margot (Marguerite de Valois) was banished; this village of winegrowers' houses built with black stone has not only a rich historical past but is also famous for its basalt columns.
Saint Floret : a village in the Couze Pavin valley; in the castle keep, which dominates the village, frescoes painted in 14th century tell the story of Tristan and Isolde.
Montpeyroux : a former winegrowing village centered around its keep, perched on a hill it dominates the Allier valley.
A little further away :
30km, Saint Saturnin with its romanesque church
37km, Blesle with its Benedictine abbey and headdress museum.
The spa towns of Auvergne :
Synonymous with well-being, there are many spa towns in Auvergne such as Vichy, La Bourboule, Le Mont-Dore, Châtel-Guyon and Royat-Chamalières. Others are a little bit further away.
Mining :
The story of an area closely linked to coal extraction around Brassac les Mines.
The resistance :
An important page of history during the Second World War : the activity of the resistance network is visible at the Mont Mouchet site and in museums of the region.