Once the Roman town of Vellinius it was renamed by the Archbishop
of Bourges in AD855, to the more appropriate Beau Lieu - beautiful
place. And it still is!
The old quarter of Beaulieu, clustered around the Romanesque abbey
church of St Pierre (check out the carved tympanum of the Last Judgement),
is everything that a narrow streeted mediaeval town should be. Add
to that it's superb river frontage and you have got a bit of a gem
of a town.
Marshall Ney holed up in the nearby Chateau D'Arnac, after fleeing
the battlefield of Waterloo, finally taking refuge in the church
in Beaulieu. Didn't do him much good - the restored French Monarchy
promptly arrested him and shot him for treason.
Lively bars and cafés, a couple of good restaurants, estate
agents, banks, shops, an excellent market... Beaulieu is a thriving
town that does not close down in winter. Don't miss it.
