Sancerre () is a medieval hilltop town and
commune in the
department of
Cher
Cher ( ; born Cheryl Sarkisian, May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Goddess of Pop", she is known for her Androgyny, androgynous contralto voice, Music an ...
,
Centre-Val de Loire
Centre-Val de Loire (; ,In isolation, ''Centre'' is pronounced . ) or Centre Region (, ), as it was known until 2015, is one of the eighteen Regions of France, administrative regions of France. It straddles the middle Loire Valley in the interior ...
, France, overlooking the river
Loire
The Loire ( , , ; ; ; ; ) 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 Rhône.
It rises in the so ...
. It is a member of
Les Plus Beaux Villages de France
(, ) is an independent association created in 1982 for the promotion of the tourist appeal of small rural villages with a rich cultural heritage. As of 2024, it numbers 176 member villages (independent Communes of France, ''communes'' or part ...
(The Most Beautiful Villages of France) Association, noted for its wine and for inventing
Crottin de Chavignol Cheese.
History
Located in the area of
Gaul
Gaul () was a region of Western Europe first clearly described by the Roman people, Romans, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Northern Italy. It covered an area of . Ac ...
settled by the powerful
Celtic (Gaule Celtique) tribe, the
Bituriges, or the "Kings of the World", and after their defeat at
Bourges
Bourges ( ; ; ''Borges'' in Berrichon) is a commune in central France on the river Yèvre (Cher), Yèvre. It is the capital of the Departments of France, department of Cher (department), Cher, and also was the capital city of the former provin ...
(Avaricum), part of
Roman Aquitania. Some evidence points to the existence of an early hillside Roman temple dedicated to
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...
; located on the
Roman road
Roman roads ( ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Republic and the Roman Em ...
(Gordaine) from
Bourges
Bourges ( ; ; ''Borges'' in Berrichon) is a commune in central France on the river Yèvre (Cher), Yèvre. It is the capital of the Departments of France, department of Cher (department), Cher, and also was the capital city of the former provin ...
to the river town of Gordona (Castle-Gordon), now
Saint Thibault and
Saint Satur. Name possibly derived from "Sacred to Caesar" and later Christianized to "Saint-Cere". During the
Carolingian period there was a small village on the hillside, clustered around the Saint Romble Church. An
Augustinian abbey was founded in Saint Satur in 1034. A natural fortress 312 meters in height, Sancerre is a former feudal possession of the
counts of Champagne
The count of Champagne was the ruler of the County of Champagne from 950 to 1316. Champagne evolved from the County of Troyes in the late eleventh century and Hugh I of Champagne, Hugh I was the first to officially use the title count of Champagn ...
(1152) in the
province
A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
of
Berry
A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples of berries in the cul ...
. They built a chateau on the hill and ramparts to protect the city. The chateau had six towers including the Tower of the Strongholds (Tour des Fiefs) and the Tower of Saint George. In times of war, a fire was lit on the top of the Saint George tower that could be seen for around. The Customs of Lorris (1155), a charter granted by
Stephen I to the merchants of Sancerre was considered one of the most progressive in the
Capetian kingdom. In 1184, the count of Sancerre led a band of rebels called the
Brabançons against the king. They were defeated by the
Confrères de la Paix, the Confraternity of Peace, a group charged with keeping order in the kingdom. In 1190, Stephen I was among the first feudal lords to abolish serfdom. The fortified city repelled the English forces twice during the
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy ...
but much of the surrounding area, including the Augustinian Abbey in Saint Satur and Saint Romble, were destroyed by the forces of
Edward, the Black Prince. Sancerre was the seat of
Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc ( ; ; – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the Coronation of the French monarch, coronation of Charles VII o ...
's great comrade-in-arms,
Jean V de Bueil.
Sancerre was also the site of the infamous
siege of Sancerre (1572–1573) during the
Wars of Religion where the
Huguenot population held out for nearly eight months against the Catholic forces of the king. The siege was one of the last times in European history where
slings (
trebuchet), the "Arquebuses of Sancerre", were used in warfare. The siege was documented by a Protestant minister who survived the battle,
Jean de Léry, in ''The Memorable History of the Siege of Sancerre''. In 1621 much of the feudal chateau and city walls were destroyed by orders of the king to prevent further resistance. In 1637 the county was sold by
Rene de Bueil to the
prince of Condé,
Henry II of Bourbon, the governor of Berry. The area suffered economically from the mass exodus of Protestant merchants, tradesmen and others during the 17th century, especially after the revocation of the
Edict of Nantes
The Edict of Nantes () was an edict signed in April 1598 by Henry IV of France, King Henry IV and granted the minority Calvinism, Calvinist Protestants of France, also known as Huguenots, substantial rights in the nation, which was predominantl ...
(1685).
During the
French Revolution, Sancerre was the site of a royalist rebellion led by
Louis-Edmond de Phelippeaux – small "Vendee Sancerroise". Sancerre was designated the seat of government for the district during the First Republic, but in 1926 the sous-préfecture and other administrative services were transferred to
Bourges
Bourges ( ; ; ''Borges'' in Berrichon) is a commune in central France on the river Yèvre (Cher), Yèvre. It is the capital of the Departments of France, department of Cher (department), Cher, and also was the capital city of the former provin ...
. Count
Jean-Pierre de Montalivet, of Chateau de
Thauvenay, Minister of the Interior under
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
, was a large landowner in Sancerre during the 19th century.
Area transportation was improved by the construction of a suspension bridge at Saint Thibault (1834), the
Lateral Canal of the Loire (1838) and later, the Bourges-Sancerre railroad line (1885). A mansion was built on the ruins of the original Chateau de Sancerre in 1874 by Mlle de Crussol d'
Uzès in the style of
Louis XII. In 1919, the mansion and part of the vineyards were purchased by
Louis-Alexandre Marnier-Lapostolle, the liqueur manufacturer. During
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, Sancerre was the site of a military hospital.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Sancerre was a regional command center for the
French Resistance
The French Resistance ( ) was a collection of groups that fought the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, Nazi occupation and the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#France, collaborationist Vic ...
. "Operation Spencer” in 1944 was to prevent the Germans from crossing the river
Loire
The Loire ( , , ; ; ; ; ) 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 Rhône.
It rises in the so ...
between
Gien and
Nevers
Nevers ( , ; , later ''Nevirnum'' and ''Nebirnum'') is a city and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Nièvre Departments of France, department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in central France. It was the pr ...
and reinforcing troops in
Brittany
Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...
. The
French Resistance
The French Resistance ( ) was a collection of groups that fought the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, Nazi occupation and the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#France, collaborationist Vic ...
and
Free French Forces blew up the bridge at Sancerre and sabotaged communication, road, canal and railway lines. On 25 June 1944 German troops based in
Cosne-sur-Loire set fire to the village of
Thauvenay in reprisal for an ambush of the
French Resistance
The French Resistance ( ) was a collection of groups that fought the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, Nazi occupation and the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#France, collaborationist Vic ...
, burning 23 houses, executing six men, a 7-year-old boy and taking eleven people hostage. Among the hostages was
Paul de Lavenne de Choulot, comte de Chabaud la Tour, owner of Chateau de
Thauvenay. Taken to
Bourges
Bourges ( ; ; ''Borges'' in Berrichon) is a commune in central France on the river Yèvre (Cher), Yèvre. It is the capital of the Departments of France, department of Cher (department), Cher, and also was the capital city of the former provin ...
, Paul de Choulot pleaded to
Alfred Stanke, the "Franciscan of Bourges," a German monk and medical orderly who helped save hundreds during World War II, to spare the rest of the commune.
Economy
Known principally for the production of red wine from the
Pinot noir
Pinot noir (), also known as Pinot nero, is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name also refers to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French language, French words fo ...
grape until the 20th century, the Sancerre area was devastated by
phylloxera
Grape phylloxera is an insect pest of grapevines worldwide, originally native to eastern North America. Grape phylloxera (''Daktulosphaira vitifoliae'' (Fitch 1855) belongs to the family Phylloxeridae, within the order Hemiptera, bugs); orig ...
in the late 19th century. The vineyards were replanted in
Sauvignon blanc (also see
Sancerre (wine)). In 1936 Sancerre white was given
AOC (
INAO) status; reds were classified in 1959. The area now produces white, red and rose wine. The following communes fall inside the "Sancerre" and "Sancerre-Loire Valley" controlled label of origin area:
Bannay,
Bué
Bué () is a Communes of France, commune in the Cher (department), Cher Departments of France, department, located in the Centre-Val de Loire Regions of France, region, France.
Geography
A winegrowing and farming village situated northeast of ...
,
Crézancy-en-Sancerre,
Menetou-Râtel,
Ménétréol-sous-Sancerre,
Montigny,
Saint-Satur,
Sainte-Gemme-en-Sancerrois, Sancerre,
Sury-en-Vaux,
Thauvenay,
Veaugues,
Verdigny et
Vinon.
The area is also noted for its
goat cheese. The nearby village of
Chavignol, which gave its name to the cheese –
Crottin de Chavignol – is located on the territory of the commune.
Population
Sights
Of architectural significance: Belfry of St. Jean, a 16th-century bell tower built by the prosperous merchants of Sancerre; Tour des Fiefs (1390), the lone remaining tower of the feudal chateau; and the ruins of Saint Romble, a medieval church destroyed by the English.
Jacques Coeur house: 15th-century house owned at one time by Jacques Coeur, financier and royal adviser to King Charles VII.
Maison des Sancerre: Wine exposition located in 14th–16th-century house with tower.
Hotel de la Thaumassière: 17th-century house built by César Thaumassière, doctor of Henry II of Bourbon.
The city is a cobweb of twisted streets with many buildings surviving from the Middle Ages.
International relations
Sancerre is twinned with
*
Eccleshall in
Staffordshire,
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
.
Personalities
*
Stephen I of Sancerre (Étienne I), Count of Sancerre (1133–1191) Crusader; died at the
siege of Acre.
*
Etienne II of Sancerre, Count of Sancerre (1252–1306) Grand Bouteiller of France
*
Louis II de Sancerre, Count of Sancerre (died 26 August 1346) One of the few French nobles to penetrate the English front line at the
Battle of Crécy. Killed in the battle.
*
Louis de Sancerre,
Marshal of France
Marshal of France (, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to General officer, generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1793–1804) ...
,
Constable of France (1342–1402) Buried in
Saint Denis Basilica near King
Charles V.
*
Stephen of Sancerre, Lord of Vailly (d. 1390 in Tunis) Died fighting the Moors under the command of Louis II de Bourbon, Duke of Bourbon (1337–1410).
*
Jean V de Bueil,
Admiral of France (1406–1477) The ''Plague of the English'' and author of ''Le Jouvencel''.
*
Jean de Léry, Protestant minister and author, ''History of a Voyage to the Land of Brazil'', 1578 and ''The Memorable History of the Siege of Sancerre'', 1574.
*
Samuel Bernard, comte de Coubert (1651–1739) Protestant Financier
*
Count Louis of Sancerre, companion of explorer
Sieur de la Salle, 1682.
*
Jean-Charles Perrinet d'Orval (1707–1782), pyrotechnician
*
Étienne MacDonald, Duke of
Taranto,
Marshal of France
Marshal of France (, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to General officer, generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1793–1804) ...
(1765–1840)
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
made him Marshal of France on the battlefield at
Wagram.
*
Jean-Pierre Bachasson, comte de
Montalivet (1766–1823) French statesman
*
Louis Mairet, Commander of the
Legion of Honor, Companion of the
Order of Liberation (1916–1998) Parachutist with the Free French Squadron; destroyed the bridge at Sancerre in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.
*
Béatrice Bulteau (1959–2024), equine artist
See also
*
Communes of the Cher department
The following is a list of the 286 communes of the Cher department of France.
The communes cooperate in the following intercommunalities (as of 2025):
References
Sources
*
{{authority control
Communes of Cher (department)
Berry, France