MONCONTOUR AND ITS MEDIEVAL MARKET

THE pretty medieval fortified town of Moncontour, near Loudeac, holds a special Fête Médiéval on the third Sunday of August each year. The buildings in the town are decorated with banners and plywood castellations, and straw is spread about the streets. Most of the population, and many of the visitors too, wear appropriate costumes. Minstrels and balladeers entertain along with jugglers and sword-swallowers on street corners.

At some market stalls, food is served on wooden platters, with a variety of exotic-looking breads made according to ancient recipes. Generally the stalls sell only items which would have been available in the Middle Ages, such as jewellery, quill pens and wood carvings. In the central square there are special demonstrations and performances on a wooden stage.

We watched a man being dressed in armour, piece by piece, with a clear and often humorous explanation of the purpose of all the various elements of armour and weaponry. Then, to our surprise, a horse was led into the square and it, too, was given head and body armour. The Knight then mounted the horse and rode away through the crowd, looking most impressive. The Fête ended with a Procession, with all those in costume (and a varied collection of animals) taking part.

Here are some photos of the event:

In fact Moncontour is worth a visit at any time of the year. It is one of an association of small towns of character in Brittany - Petites Cités de Caractère de Bretagne - which are all characterised by impressive sites, either steep slopes and ridges for fortified hill towns, or at river confluences or estuary mouths. La Roche-Bernard is another such!