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WITH POOLS
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Towns
and Villages of the Vendee
Petosse
Petosse is
situated just 8kms from Fontenay-le-Comte in the south Vendee. It is easily
reached from both the N148 and the D949 on the D30.
It lies in the middle of the lucon-fontenay plain and agriculture is its main industry, there is a farmers shop that sells local melons and fresh vegetable during the summer season.
St.Julien church in the centre of the village dates from 1003 when GuillaumeV Count de Poitou gave the land to the Abbaye de Maillezais. In 1568 it was burnt down by the Protestants from La Rochelle, it was reconstructed at the end of the 16th century.
The caves below the church which can be visited, were used as a refuge from Normand invaders during the middle ages. It consists of caves and passages.
It lies in the middle of the lucon-fontenay plain and agriculture is its main industry, there is a farmers shop that sells local melons and fresh vegetable during the summer season.
St.Julien church in the centre of the village dates from 1003 when GuillaumeV Count de Poitou gave the land to the Abbaye de Maillezais. In 1568 it was burnt down by the Protestants from La Rochelle, it was reconstructed at the end of the 16th century.
The caves below the church which can be visited, were used as a refuge from Normand invaders during the middle ages. It consists of caves and passages.
The legend
of the Cat with Iron shoes is reflected in the village emblem and a stone
carving high up on the wall of the naive. It infact has nothing to do with cats
in iron shoes.
This story is still current among the villagers of Pétosse: a few years ago, there still existed at Pétosse the 'Chat Ferré' Inn. Don't imagine that the story is anything to do with domestic cats, but "Chats-Garous" (literally Were-Cats) or sorcerers who dressed in cat skins and shod their sabots (clogs) to simulate the sound of 'horse-men', they assembled each winter at the witch's sabbath which took place at the crossroads of Le Coudray in the commune of Marsais Ste Radegonde.
This story is still current among the villagers of Pétosse: a few years ago, there still existed at Pétosse the 'Chat Ferré' Inn. Don't imagine that the story is anything to do with domestic cats, but "Chats-Garous" (literally Were-Cats) or sorcerers who dressed in cat skins and shod their sabots (clogs) to simulate the sound of 'horse-men', they assembled each winter at the witch's sabbath which took place at the crossroads of Le Coudray in the commune of Marsais Ste Radegonde.
