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Parthenay (; Poitevin: ''Partenaes'') is an ancient fortified town and ''commune'' in the
Deux-Sèvres Deux-Sèvres (, Poitevin-Saintongese: ''Deùs Saevres'') 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 ...
department of the
Nouvelle-Aquitaine Nouvelle-Aquitaine () is the largest Regions of France, administrative region in France by area, spanning the west and southwest of Metropolitan France. The region was created in 2014 by the merging of Aquitaine, Limousin, and Poitou-Charentes ...
region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...
in western
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. It is sited on a rocky spur that is surrounded on two sides by the River Thouet, and is the
sub-prefecture A subprefecture is an administrative division of a country that is below prefecture or province. Albania There are twelve Albanian counties or prefectures, each of which is divided into several districts, sometimes translated as subprefectures. ...
of the Parthenay ''arrondissement''. It is situated some north of
Niort Niort (; Poitevin: ''Niàu''; ; ) is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department, western France. It is the prefecture of Deux-Sèvres. The population of Niort is 58,707 (2017) and more than 177,000 people live in the urban area. Geography T ...
, west of
Poitiers Poitiers is a city on the river Clain in west-central France. It is a commune in France, commune, the capital of the Vienne (department), Vienne department and the historical center of Poitou, Poitou Province. In 2021, it had a population of 9 ...
, south-east of
Nantes Nantes (, ; ; or ; ) is a city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire, from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. The city is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, sixth largest in France, with a pop ...
, and south-west of
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
. Each July, Parthenay hosts the '' Festival Ludique International de Parthenay'', otherwise known as the ''Festival de Jeux'' or ''FLIP'', in which the town's streets and squares are filled with games of many types. The shorter indoor ''FLIP d'hiver'' runs in November.


History

Legend has it that Parthenay was created with a wave of the fairy
Melusine Mélusine () or Melusine or Melusina is a figure of European folklore, a nixie (folklore), female spirit of fresh water in a holy well or river. She is usually depicted as a woman who is a Serpent symbolism, serpent or Fish in culture, fish fr ...
's wand. However the name of Parthenay first appears in written records at the beginning of the 11th century and there is no evidence of previous significant human occupation in the
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
. The castle, situated on an easily defended site at the tip of the rocky promontory surrounded by the loop of the river, was built in the 13th century. At the same time the outer fortifications protecting the citadel, and the town itself, were completed. Economically, Parthenay benefited by being on one of the branches of the Way of St. James, the
mediaeval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and t ...
pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...
route to
Santiago de Compostella Santiago de Compostela, simply Santiago, or Compostela, in the province of A Coruña, is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the Cathedra ...
in
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
. The main fortified gate, by which pilgrims would enter the town, still bears the name of Saint Jacques (the French name for Saint James). Historically, Parthenay was considered the capital of the Gâtine Vendéenne, the hilly and wooded area that occupies the centre of the current department of Deux-Sèvres and is quite different in character from the plains to the south, around
Niort Niort (; Poitevin: ''Niàu''; ; ) is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department, western France. It is the prefecture of Deux-Sèvres. The population of Niort is 58,707 (2017) and more than 177,000 people live in the urban area. Geography T ...
. Because of the nature of the land, the area became known for the breeding of
cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...
, and the Parthenais breed is named after the town. It was not until the 19th century that the town expanded beyond its walls. Wide boulevards and squares were constructed following the line of the old town wall and moat to the east of the town. Beyond these, the railway station was built in 1880, and new districts and industries grew up around this.


Geography

The medieval walled town of Parthenay is constructed in a bend of the River Thouet, which surrounds the town on the west and north sides. The highest ground within the walls lies to the south, where the current town centre lies. To the north and west, a spur of high ground runs above cliffs which descend vertically to the riverside park of ''La Prée''. At the northern end of this spur, with the river on two sides, are the remains of the towns fortified ''chateau''. Between the ''chateau'' and the town centre along the top of the spur is the ''citadel'', protected by the city wall along the top of the cliffs to the west, and by its own inner walls to the south and east. To the east of the citadel and the north of the town centre, the land slopes more gently down a small valley to the river. Running down the middle of this valley can be found the ''Rue de la Vau Saint-Jaques'', a narrow mediaeval street that climbs up from the bridge and gateway of the ''Porte Saint-Jacques'' to the centre of town. In time of the pilgrimage, this would have been the main pilgrimage route south through the town, and was occupied by
weavers Weaver or Weavers may refer to: Activities * A person who engages in weaving fabric Animals * Various birds of the family Ploceidae * Crevice weaver spider family * Orb-weaver spider family * Weever (or weever-fish) Arts and entertainment ...
. Outside the city walls, the district of Saint-Jacques occupies land at the northern side of the Saint-Jacques bridge, and was also an area of weavers in mediaeval times. To the west of the town centre, the district of Saint-Paul spills down the steep hill to the river, across the Saint-Paul bridge and around the former Saint-Paul's Priory, founded in the 11th century. The Saint-Paul's district was the home of the town's tanners. Later expansions to the east and south of the walled town date from the nineteenth century and later, and were encouraged by the construction of the railway and, more recently, the town's eastern by-pass road.


Population


Government

In 2001, the commune of Parthenay joined together with six neighbouring communes to establish the ''Communauté de communes de Parthenay'', which provides a framework within which local tasks are carried out together. This intercommunality was merged into the Communauté de communes de Parthenay-Gâtine in 2014. The new intercommunality has 39 communes, a population of 37,817 (2014) in an area of .


Transport

Parthenay is located on the ''Route nationale'' 149 (RN149), which runs roughly east–west from
Nantes Nantes (, ; ; or ; ) is a city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire, from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. The city is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, sixth largest in France, with a pop ...
to
Poitiers Poitiers is a city on the river Clain in west-central France. It is a commune in France, commune, the capital of the Vienne (department), Vienne department and the historical center of Poitou, Poitou Province. In 2021, it had a population of 9 ...
, and which forms part of the European route E62 from Nantes to
Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...
. The RN149 is a conventional highway, and has to a certain extent been by-passed by a combination of the ''autoroutes'' A83 and A10 that passes some to the south of Parthenay. Other major roads link Parthenay to
Niort Niort (; Poitevin: ''Niàu''; ; ) is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department, western France. It is the prefecture of Deux-Sèvres. The population of Niort is 58,707 (2017) and more than 177,000 people live in the urban area. Geography T ...
,
Saumur Saumur () is a Communes of France, commune in the Maine-et-Loire Departments of France, department in western France. The town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgu ...
,
Saint-Maixent-l'École Saint-Maixent-l'École () is a commune in the department of Deux-Sèvres, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine (before 2015: Poitou-Charentes), western France. Geography Saint-Maixent-l'École is located in the Haut Val de Sèvre area of western Franc ...
and
La Roche-sur-Yon La Roche-sur-Yon () is a Communes of France, commune in the Vendée Departments of France, department in the Pays de la Loire Regions of France, region in western France. It is the capital of the department. The demonym for its inhabitants is '' ...
. Through traffic can avoid passing through the old town by using a by-pass road that encircles the town at a distance of about . Parthenay railway station was formerly a junction on the
SNCF The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (, , SNCF ) is France's national State-owned enterprise, state-owned railway company. Founded in 1938, it operates the Rail transport in France, country's national rail traffic along with th ...
rail system, with lines to
Niort Niort (; Poitevin: ''Niàu''; ; ) is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department, western France. It is the prefecture of Deux-Sèvres. The population of Niort is 58,707 (2017) and more than 177,000 people live in the urban area. Geography T ...
,
Thouars Thouars () is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department in western France. On 1 January 2019, the former communes Mauzé-Thouarsais, Missé and Sainte-Radegonde were merged into Thouars. It is on the River Thouet. Its inhabitants are known ...
,
Poitiers Poitiers is a city on the river Clain in west-central France. It is a commune in France, commune, the capital of the Vienne (department), Vienne department and the historical center of Poitou, Poitou Province. In 2021, it had a population of 9 ...
and Bressuire. However, only the lines to Niort and Thouars survive, and these lines now only carry freight trains. The ''région'' of Nouvelle-Aquitaine provides inter-urban bus service that connects Parthenay to Niort, Bressuire, Thouars, Poitiers and other local towns and villages. The nearest airports are at Poitiers ( Poitiers - Biard Airport) and Nantes (
Nantes Atlantique Airport Nantes Atlantique Airport (, formerly known as ''Aéroport Château Bougon'') is an international airport serving Nantes, France. It is located southwest of the city, in Bouguenais. The airport is operated by the ''Chambre de commerce et d'i ...
).


Main sights

The medieval centre of Parthenay contains a number of sights, including: * The ''Town Walls'', which are particularly visible to the west and north, where they sit on top of and incorporate a high granite outcrop. The outer town walls to the east and south have largely been removed, although their course can still be inferred from the wide boulevards that replaced them, but the eastern wall of the inner citadel can still be seen, rising above the ''Rue de la Vau Saint-Jaques''. * The ''Porte St-Jacques'' and ''Pont St-Jacques'' form the entry into the walled town from the north. The bridge crosses the River Thouet before passing through the heavily fortified gateway, which was built in the early 13th century. This would have been the entry into the town used by the pilgrims. Today's visitors can reach the top of the gatehouse, which provides views over the river and lower part of the town. * The ''Rue de la Vau Saint-Jaques'' is a narrow street lined with medieval timber-framed houses, with vegetable plots climbing the slopes that rise above either side of the street. At one time this would have been the main pilgrimage route from the ''Porte St-Jacques'' up to the town centre, and was occupied by
weavers Weaver or Weavers may refer to: Activities * A person who engages in weaving fabric Animals * Various birds of the family Ploceidae * Crevice weaver spider family * Orb-weaver spider family * Weever (or weever-fish) Arts and entertainment ...
. Many of the houses retain the wooden ground floor shutters that folded down to form a stall. * The ''Porte de l'Horloge'' is the fortified gateway into the citadel from the town centre, and dates from the 13th century. In 1454, a bell was added to toll the hours, and subsequently clock faces were added to the tower. * The ''Église Sainte-Croix'' is a romanesque church within the citadel, adjacent to the ''
mairie In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...
'' and law courts. It was founded in the 11th century. * The ''Église Saint-Laurent'' is a parish church in the centre of the town which is believed to date from the early 11th century. It has been rebuilt several times and has both romanesque and gothic features. * The ''Chapelle des Cordeliers'' is a 13th-century chapel constructed by the Order of St Francis, known in France as the ''Cordeliers'' for the chord they wore at their waist. A small side chapel dating from the 16th century houses a fine
renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
altarpiece. * The sculpture "La Rivière" by Pierre Charles Lenoir is held in Parthenay Mairie.


Climate


See also

*
Communes of the Deux-Sèvres department The following is a list of the 252 communes of the Deux-Sèvres department of France. The communes cooperate in the following intercommunalities (as of 2025):Web site of the ''communauté de communes''
(in French)
The Parthenay Effect: How a Small French Town Might Save Civilization
(in English) * {{authority control Communes of Deux-Sèvres Subprefectures in France Poitou