Welcome to Charlieu
Every newcomer to Charlieu – whether moving in or simply passing through – inevitably asks the question :
”How is it that this little town has been able to conserve and make the most of its historical past so well, and over so many centuries?”

Far more than a material continuity, surely there must be some kind of spiritual continuity that makes each and every person, from generation to generation, so proud of their town, of its monuments, of the part it plays in local identity. The idea of patrimony here is more of a communal heritage.
Wandering through the streets of Charlieu, and visiting ses monuments et ses musées, you will find yourself gradually enchanted by the very soul of this city and its unforgettable charm.

The old Abbey, the monastery of Cordeliers, the St Philibert church, the old houses and the pedestrian streets, the museums, the gardens are anchoring points and points of recognition, not only in terms of local history, but also in all of our past. In our time of the immaterial and our ephemeral civilisation, they pass on an inestimable message of the value of lasting, of time going by, of the continuity of generations, respect for those who have gone before us, and the testimonials they have left us of their daily life, their beliefs, their hopes, their sense of beauty, in a word their faith in Man.