Fontaine Saint-Arnoult

Saint-Arnoult-en-Yvelines

It all begins with a funeral procession brought to a halt. Around 535, Arnoul, a Frankish aristocrat who became Bishop of Tours after a life of embassies between Rome, Constantinople and Jerusalem, was murdered near Reims. His wife Scariberge — a niece of Clovis, with whom tradition says he had taken a vow of chastity — was bringing his body back towards Tours. But in the heart of the forest of Yveline, so the legend goes, the oxen refused to go on; in another version, the widow refused to pay a toll. The will of God was read into it: Arnoul was buried on the spot, and a whole village grew up around his tomb. For centuries, Saint-Arnoult-en-Yvelines drew more pilgrims than any other sanctuary in the Yveline country, the first stage on the great roads leading from Paris to Tours and Compostela. Below the village, near the Rémarde, the fountain that bears his name was the focus of popular devotion: its clear water, running over a bed of pebbles, was believed to cure skin diseases and rheumatism; sickly children were dipped in it to restore their strength, processions were led there in times of drought, and young people threw objects into it — if they floated, marriage would come within the year. In the 1960s, the Perrier company even considered tapping the spring, before giving up for lack of flow. The saint, whose feast falls on 18 July, remains the patron of the Yvelines — and, it is said, of walkers.

Getting there : Coordinates of the village centre of Saint-Arnoult-en-Yvelines (approach point, not the fountain itself): the fountain lies below the village, near the Rémarde, freely accessible all year round, notably by the waymarked paths along the river (Longvilliers – Saint-Arnoult circuit). 14 km south-east of Rambouillet. Round off the visit with the church of Saint-Nicolas (listed historic monument) and its tomb of the saint.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound