Home
News
All news
Connecting a monument and the local inhabitants

Connecting a monument and the local inhabitants

Published on 04 July 2013 - Updated 12 July 2013
Cet article date d'il y a plus de 11 ans

Making a monument a firm feature of its territory and the inhabitants the first ambassadors of the site and its cultural activities, by giving them a chance to take on this heritage as their own, is the main objective of schemes implemented at different scales. Two examples are given below with the "passeurs" (local pass-holders) for Fontevraud and the new agreement binding Château d’Angers and the Town.

Almost 3,500 "Passeurs" loyal to Fontevraud Abbey

Since the spring of 2011, the Fontevraud Pass has given inhabitants living near Fontevraud the opportunity to visit the Abbey as often as they like, for the price of one admission + €1. Alone or as a family, for €10 or €25 a year, the Fontevraud Pass is the key to free and unlimited access to the Abbey and its activities, as well as special discounts on concerts and shows, invitations to exhibitions and previews and discounts to the Aliénor Café, Orangerie and the gift shop. What's more, several other tourist sites in the region have joined forces with Fontevraud to offer preferential rates to Fontevraud Pass holders.

The community of "Passeurs" currently brings together 3,500 people, two-thirds of whom come from Maine-et-Loire, and the remaining third primarily from Indre-et-Loire and then the Vienne.

On 31 May 2013, for the second year in a row, these "followers" were invited to spend a VIP evening at the Abbey especially for them. 500 replied and attended (350 in 2012) this event in which all of the Abbey staff got involved.

The evening involved:

Brand new tours around inaccessible areas of the Abbey: La Madeleine, the domes and the bell ringer's lodge for example
Tours of the Abbey areas where works were going on: the hotel, energy centre, etc.
An enjoyable supper on the lawn of the Abbey church chevet
Musical entertainment
An artistic workshop on the theme of energy…

Online:

Pass Fontevraud

Retour sur la soirée des passeurs

Château d’Angers free for local inhabitants

A partnership agreement has been signed between the Centre des monuments nationaux and town of Angers, particularly laying down new terms of access to the Château: during a one-year trial, free admission is now possible all year round for Angers locals with the A'tout pass – a multi-service card implemented by the town.

This partnership gives shape to new relations and a joint commitment to making the Château a larger part of the life of Angers locals.