Sainte-Néomaye is a commune

Communes of France

The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...

 in the Deux-Sèvres

Deux-Sèvres

Deux-Sèvres is a French département. Deux-Sèvres literally means "two Sèvres": the Sèvre Nantaise and the Sèvre Niortaise are two rivers which have their sources in the department.-History:...

 department in western France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

. It has 1245 inhabitants . They are called Neomadiens.

Villages

Sainte-Neomaye is composed of several villages:

• Sainte-Neomaye (le Bourg)
• La Chesnaye
• Aiript
• Les Fontenelles
• La Corbeliere
• Fontramier

Each village has its own identity, and its own particularities.

Traditions

A legend says that Sainte-Neomaye takes his name from a young a very virtuous woman, Neomaye, who was promised, against her will, to a local ugly lord. Rather than accepting the wedding, and in order to keep her virtue, she asked that her foot be changed in a goose leg, and was fulfilled after she dived it in a source. This source is still said to have some magic power.

Sainte-Neomaye has been famous for its Donkey Fair (La Foire aux Mules) since the 18th century. Nowadays, this social event still takes place on the gorgeous central square of the village, but is less about commerce, and more about entertainment.

At this occasion, a race, "Les Chemins du Roy", takes place around the village, through tiny paths used, a long time ago, by donkey merchants.

Geography

Sainte-Neomaye is located in the south-east of Deux-Sèvres. It is 14 km east of Niort

Niort

Niort is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department in western France.The Latin name of the city was Novioritum.The population of Niort is 60,486 and more than 137,000 people live in the urban area....

, 60 km south-west of Poitiers

Poitiers

Poitiers is a city on the Clain river in west central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and of the Poitou-Charentes region. The centre is picturesque and its streets are interesting for predominant remains of historical architecture, especially from the Romanesque...

.
The town is crossed by several rivers. The most important is the Sèvre Niortaise

Sèvre Niortaise

The Sèvre Niortaise is a river in western France, flowing into the Atlantic Ocean. Its source is in the Deux-Sèvres département, near Sepvret, north of Melle.It flows through the following départements and towns:...

.
Sainte-Néomaye is very accessible, only 2 hours 15 minutes from Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

 via TGV

TGV

The TGV is France's high-speed rail service, currently operated by SNCF Voyages, the long-distance rail branch of SNCF, the French national rail operator....

, and 2 hours from Bordeaux

Bordeaux

Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...

 by car

Čar

Čar is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 296 people.-References:...

. It is also very close from Poitiers and its malls and universities (60 km), and La Rochelle and the Atlantic Ocean.

Architecture

• The roman church was built in the 12th century and has been recently renovated.
• The castle of Sainte-Neomaye is a manor built in the 19th century.
• The castle of Les Fontenelles is a nice example of romantic architecture from the 19th century.
• Sainte-Neomaye's central square is also well known for the beautiful houses erected on its sides. These very typical Poitevin houses used to be hostels. The square is planted with trees and has large grass areas.