ARFEUILLES

The Barbenan River runs through the centre of this untouched picturesque village hidden away in the beautiful rolling hills of the Bourbonnaise Mountains. The four bridges are covered in flowers and lit at dusk. The only industry is forestry, agriculture and crafts. There is a very imposing church built in 1882 in the centre of the square, which traditionally tolls the time during daylight hours. Gathered around the church are the Auberge du Barbenan and Cafe, offering excellent cuisine and al fresco dining, the Tabac, small Supermarket, Boulangerie, and Post Office. We have a Doctor and a Pharmacy, and a Hard Tennis Court is a few minutes walk from the square. A small Tourist Office opens in the summer.

On Wednesday mornings there is a market selling fresh fruit and vegetables, fish, cheese and meat.

On 15 August each year Arfeuilles celebrates its annual fete, the 'Cou de l'Oie' a revival from medieval times, with large crowds of visitors gathering to watch the expertise of horsemen galloping up through the square. the day finishing with dinner and a disco on the Champ de Foire. On the evening of the 14th at dusk, the Union Musicale d'Arfeuilles followed by local children in a lantern procession, parade through the village to the lake, where a big firework display and ends the day.

There are 400 km of marked walks surrounding the village, and within a 30km radius you can find ancient villages, chateau and churches. The people of Arfeuilles are friendly and welcoming, there is no commercial tourism. In July and August it is lively with entertainments and fetes, and very peaceful out of season. It is a paradise for walkers.

Walk from the village

A bit of History

Legend has it that towards the middle of the XIIIC the feudal lords of Montmorillon and Chatelmontagne attacked the lords of Arfeuilles who perished in the battle. The kingdom of Arfeuilles passed to the Chatelmontagne family, then by marriage to the Vichy family. The chateau was ravaged several times and the Fortress set on fire by the Protestants during the religious wars which raged for 35 years, ending in 1598, In the hands of the Vichy family the destroyed chateau was rebuilt and this became the Fortress, which was followed by the building of the New Chateau beside the Barbenan river. At the beginning of the XVIth century this Chateau became the collection house for the taxes of Arfeuilles-Chatelmontagne by the feudal lords of Popillon du Riau descendents ofthe goldsmiths to Anne de Bourbon. It was repaired again in the XVIIth century and called the Old Chateau, once more collecting taxes, which continued until 1715 when it became the property of the family Brunet d'Evry, governor of the Bourbonnais until the Revolution of 1789.

La Tour, now part of our house, is the only trace remaining of this ancient fortification, which for a final time fell into disrepair. The recovered stone was used to rebuild private homes which exist today in the centre of the village.

The ruins of the Chateau de Montgilbert built in XIIIC, made more comfortable in XVI C, and abandoned in XYIII C are fascinating to visit.