Medieval fresco

The medieval fresco, in Roanne

The medieval fresco of Roanne illustrates the town in the Middle Ages, marked by its Roman name Rodumna and the construction of its castle. The Roanne audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this mural work that brings back to life the medieval past of the town and tells its origins.

The town in the Middle Ages in images

This fresco takes us straight back to the medieval era. Roanne in the Middle Ages is a town that kept its Roman name, Rodumna, heritage of its Gallo-Roman origins, when it was a prosperous town on the road and at the edge of the Loire. The medieval town was above all marked by the construction of its castle, raised during the eleventh century, that became the centre of the seigniorial power and structured the development of the town around it. The fresco, painted on a wall of the town, illustrates this period with its scenes, its figures, its costumes and its atmosphere, and brings back to life in a lively and colourful way the Roanne of the past. This type of mural fresco, become an appreciated art in numerous French towns, allows to tell the local history along the promenade, in an accessible and attractive way. It invites the walker to imagine the medieval town, its streets, its castle and the life of its inhabitants. A mural work and a window onto the past, the medieval fresco is a fine stop of the discovery of Roanne.

What to see

You admire the mural fresco that illustrates Roanne in the Middle Ages, a town that kept its Roman name Rodumna, heritage of its Gallo-Roman origins, and was marked by the construction of its castle in the eleventh century; with its scenes, figures and costumes, it brings back to life in a lively and colourful way the medieval town and tells the local history along the promenade. The medieval fresco is a window onto the past of Roanne. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The medieval fresco lies on a wall of the centre of Roanne, reachable on foot. It is an open-air work, freely visible from the street. You discover it during a walk in the town, raising the eyes towards the painted wall.

What does the medieval fresco of Roanne represent?

It illustrates Roanne in the Middle Ages, a town that kept its Roman name Rodumna, heritage of its Gallo-Roman origins, and was marked by the construction of its castle in the eleventh century; with its scenes, its figures and its costumes, it brings back to life in a lively and colourful way the medieval town and tells the local history.

Where is the medieval fresco in Roanne?

On a wall of the centre of Roanne, in France.