Wandering around Meung sur Loire, Centre Loire Valley France. A taste of this fascinating town

We visited and stayed in Meung-sur-Loire in September 2023. It's a really attractive and interesting town in the Centre Loire Valley with a great chateau and lovely church that is a must see, it's delightful.
Meung sur Loire is a medieval village which is situated between Orleans and Chambord in the Loire Valley. It is home to one of the oldest castles in the Loiret region of France. At the centre of Meung sur Loire is its chateau and its collegiale church. Saint Liphard set up a hermitage at the edge of the River Mauves in Meung sur Loire in around 550 AD. When he died a chapel was built on his tomb and this was replaced by the Collegiale Saint Liphard church in the 11th century. It has a square bell tower with a pointed tiled roof and an attractive roman style doorway from this period. In the 12th century a fortified tower was added. Inside the church are some interesting capitals carved with flowers and strange beasts. There are also some interesting frescoes in the church.
Next to the church the castle of Meung sur Loire is one of the oldest and largest of the Loiret department. It has one medieval facade from the 13th century and one built in the 18th century in a classical style. The bishops of Orleans lived in the castle up until the French Revolution. Inside the castle you can visit the 'liquor lounge', the kitchens, the bishop's bathroom, bedrooms and alsoe the underground cells where prisoners were kept. There is a separate video to the chateau. King Francis I and King Louis XI have both stayed in the chateau as did Joan of Arc. Unfortunate prisoners include the French poet François Villon.
Near to the church and castle in the centre of town is the market hall. It is on a site which was originally the Hôtel-Dieu, a hospital which welcomed the weak and infirm and also the pilgrims who came for the reliques of Saint Liphard. This was destroyed in 1913 and was replaced by the covered market hall which is the location for the Sunday morning market in Meung-sur-Loire.
At one time this area was a swampy marshland but the monk Saint Liphard cleaned up the marshes and created canals of the water of the Mauves which now run through the village. These waterways add a charm to the streets and also fed about 30 water mills which were built in the 12th century to make flour and paper and also the water was used by the tanneries. A walk along the Mauves allows you to see some of these mills. There are sixteen in and close to the centre of the village.
Another notable feature of the town is the Porte d'Amont a large stone gateway into the town which once led through the fortified walls which surronded Meung-sur-Loire. The gateway was built in 1629 and it served also as a lookout tower and its bell was rung in times of danger.
A short distance from the village the Loire River runs by and you can take a trip along the river on a traditional boat operated by the association 'Coeur de loire' who aim to preserve and value the river patrimony.
Meung sur Loire is lucky to have two 'jardins remarquable' , classified gardens. The Jardins de Roquelin is largely a rose garden though its large borders do have other perennials, trees and shrubs.
The Jardin arboretum d'Ilex is an arboretum and has a collection of holly and a collection of clematis and lies along one of the Mauves waterways.
Meung-sur-Loire has been of cultural significance to many painters, poets, writers, scholars, and philosophers. Amongst these are: Charles-Pierre Colardeau (French Poet), Gaston Couté (poet/song writer), Baldric of Dol (author), Jean Morin (theologian), Jehan de Meun (French poet who completed Roman de la Rose) and Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (painter/ sculptor).
The rich heritage and diversity of this area meant on November 30th 2000 Meung-sur-Loire was classified “World Heritage” by UNESCO. This award is a great privilege for the town and means new attention and importance given to the Valley Loire to maintain the natural balance, quality of life and harmony of the landscape.