Pontlevoy
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The abbey in Pontlevoy
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 Pontlevoy
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Location within Centre-Val de Loire region
Pontlevoy
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| Coordinates: 47°23′23″N 1°15′16″E / 47.3897°N 1.2544°ECoordinates: 47°23′23″N 1°15′16″E / 47.3897°N 1.2544°E | ||
| Country | France | |
| Region | Centre-Val de Loire | |
| Department | Loir-et-Cher | |
| Arrondissement | Blois | |
| Canton | Montrichard | |
| Intercommunality | Communauté de communes du Cher à la Loire | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Xavier de BODARD | |
| Area1 | 51.12 km2 (19.74 sq mi) | |
| Population (1999)2 | 1,460 | |
| • Density | 29/km2 (74/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 41180 /41400 | |
| Elevation | 77–137 m (253–449 ft) (avg. 99 m or 325 ft) |
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1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. |
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1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
Pontlevoy is a commune in the Loir-et-Cher department of central France.
The village of Pontlevoy is 14 miles southwest of Blois, in the department of Loir-et-Cher, the eastern part of Touraine. It is a 20-minute drive from the chateaux of Amboise, Cheverny, Chaumont or Chenonceau, and about an hour's drive from Azay-le-Rideau, Loches or Chambord. The summer is their tourist season. The French spoken in Touraine is said to be the purest in the country. The medieval battle of Pontlevoy took place in its neighbourhood.
Pontlevoy's main street, the Rue du Colonel Filloux, named after the colonel who is identified on the sign as a Humaniste et Technicien (1869-1957). Colonel Filloux perfected the 155-millimeter howitzer for the French army.
Most of the shops and houses were built between the 15th and 19th centuries. The architectural detail makes Pontlevoy charming: a crouching monkey carved in limestone on the cornice of a building on the Rue des Singes (Monkey Street), a sun over the doorway of the 17th-century Maison du Dauphin. According to legend, Louis XIV's grandson stayed there overnight.
The Rue de la Juiverie is the only remnant of the ancient Jewish community of Pontlevoy. Touraine was settled by Jews and Romans until their persecution and eventual expulsion from the region in 1306 caused by anti-Semitism.
Pontlevoy's abbey made the town an important commercial and cultural center, founded in 1034 by Gelduin de Chaumont and re-established in 1644 by cardinal Richelieu.
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Wikipedia