Doué-la-Fontaine

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Doué-la-Fontaine is a town in western France. Since 2016 it has been part of the new commune Doué-en-Anjou. It lies in Anjou, not far from the Loire Valley’s famous châteaux.

History in brief
- The town was once called Vetus Doadum and Teotuadum castrum.
- In the 6th century, a circular baptistery near natural springs was found beneath the old Saint-Léger church.
- A Gallo-Roman villa stood here and later passed to the Carolingians. In 814, Louis the Pious learned of Charlemagne’s death at this villa and hurried to Aachen to be crowned.
- The site became a motte in the 10th century, and the village grew around troglodyte (cave) dwellings. The name appears as Doedus in 1055 and Docium in 1177.
- Doué-la-Fontaine is said to have the oldest habitable keep in France, dating to around 950, and is believed to be the first castle built of stone in Europe.
- Nearby are troglodyte homes and mushroom-growing caves. The town’s stone was used for sarcophagi about 4 km away.
- The Zoo de Doué-la-Fontaine is partly built in the troglodyte caves. A cave with sarcophagi was recently found.
- In 1793, massacres occurred here during the Vendée uprising, which were stopped by General Santerre.

Today
- Doué-la-Fontaine is home to the Zoo de Doué, a 17-hectare zoo.
- The town is known as the rose capital of France. Every July, a Festival of the Rose is held, with more than 800 varieties on display in one park.
- In 2022, about 7,800 people lived there. The area covers around 136 square kilometers.