The Sèvre Nantaise () is a river in the

Pays de la Loire Pays de la Loire (; ; br, Broioù al Liger) is one of the 18 regions of France, in the west of the mainland. It was created in the 1950s to serve as a zone of influence for its capital, Nantes, one of a handful of "balancing metropolises" (). ...

regions in western France. It is a left-bank tributary of the

Loire The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhôn ...

. Its total length is . Its source is in the

Deux-Sèvres Deux-Sèvres () is a French department. ''Deux-Sèvres'' literally means "two Sèvres": the Sèvre Nantaise and the Sèvre Niortaise are two rivers which have their sources in the department. It had a population of 374,878 in 2019.

department, near

Secondigny Secondigny () is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department in western France. It is situated about 14 km west of the town of Parthenay and 35 km north of Niort. Secondigny is the source of the Thouet, a river that flows east and then ...

. It flows from south to north through the departments and towns listed here, reaching the river Loire in the city of

Nantes Nantes (, , ; Gallo: or ; ) is a city in Loire-Atlantique on the Loire, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the sixth largest in France, with a population of 314,138 in Nantes proper and a metropolitan area of nearly 1 million inhabita ...

. That city gives it the name Sèvre ''Nantaise'', distinguishing it from the

Sèvre Niortaise The Sèvre Niortaise () is a long river in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Pays de la Loire regions in western France, flowing into the Atlantic Ocean. Its source is in the Deux-Sèvres department, near Sepvret, north of Melle. It flows through ...

further south.

Departments and communes along its course

This list is ordered from source to mouth: *

: Moncoutant, La Forêt-sur-Sèvre *

Vendée Vendée (; br, Vande) is a department in the Pays de la Loire region in Western France, on the Atlantic coast. In 2019, it had a population of 685,442.

Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre (, literally ''Saint-Laurent on Sèvre'') is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France. Pilgrimage Some 25,000 visitors per year arrive at the town, for it is the burial place ...

, Mortagne-sur-Sèvre, Tiffauges *

Maine-et-Loire Maine-et-Loire () is a department in the Loire Valley in the Pays de la Loire region in Western France. It is named after the two rivers, Maine and the Loire. It borders Mayenne and Sarthe to the north, Loire-Atlantique to the west, Indre-et ...

: Le Longeron, Torfou *

Loire-Atlantique Loire-Atlantique (; br, Liger-Atlantel; before 1957: ''Loire-Inférieure'', br, Liger-Izelañ, link=no) is a department in Pays de la Loire on the west coast of France, named after the river Loire and the Atlantic Ocean. It had a population ...

Clisson Clisson (; br, Klison), is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France. It is situated at the confluence of the Sèvre Nantaise and the Moine southeast of Nantes. The town and the celebrated ...

, Le Pallet,

Vertou Vertou (; br, Gwerzhav) is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France. It is located on the river Sèvre Nantaise, and was a historical town of Brittany. Today, Vertou is a component of the Nantes Métropole and is the fift ...

Rezé Rezé (; br, Reudied, Gallo: ''Rezae'') is a commune (municipality) and former bishopric in the Loire-Atlantique department in the Pays de la Loire region of western France. It is a southern suburb of Nantes. It was also called ''Ratiate'' in ...

The complete list is on the French page for this river.

Navigation

The river is navigable over a length of from the village of Monnières to the confluence. It has a horseshoe weir (Chaussée Des Moines) and lock at Vertou, and a tidal sluice open to boats an hour before and after high tide at Pont-Rousseau, in the suburbs of Nantes. The river is an important resource for tourism in the region. Beyond the navigable section, the river is a popular destination for canoeists. Its left-bank tributary the

Petite Maine The Petite Maine (; also: ''Maine'') is a river in western France. It is a long left tributary of the Sèvre Nantaise The Sèvre Nantaise () is a river in the Pays de la Loire regions in western France. It is a left-bank tributary of the Loire. ...

is also navigable over a length of , up to the first disused lock and weir.

References

*Edwards-May, David, ''Inland Waterways of France'' (2010), Imray Ltd., St Ives, Cambs., UK, p. 284
Sèvre Nantaise
with further details by the author of 'Inland Waterways of France'
Navigation details for 80 French rivers and canals
(French waterways website section) {{DEFAULTSORT:Sevre Nantaise Rivers of France Rivers of Nouvelle-Aquitaine Rivers of Pays de la Loire Rivers of Deux-Sèvres Rivers of Vendée Rivers of Maine-et-Loire Rivers of Loire-Atlantique