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Évaux-les-Bains (French pronunciation: [evo le bɛ̃]; Occitan: Evahon) is a commune in the Creuse department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in central France.

History

A spa town founded by the Romans in the first century, who developed thermal baths and called the place “Ivaonum,” possibly after a deity, Ivaos. It became a place of pilgrimage after the sixth century, because of the tomb of the Christian hermit Marien.

A monastery was built here in the tenth century, but this was destroyed in the seventeenth century. It was the regional capital of the Combraille in the thirteenth century and was besieged during the Hundred Years War by the Routiers.

The Roman baths, abandoned since the fifth century, became popular again at the beginning of the 17th century and again in the nineteenth century.

Geography

An area of lakes and streams, forestry, farming and associated light industry, consisting of a small town and several hamlets situated between the valleys of the rivers Cher and Tardes, some 14 miles (23 km) southwest of Montluçon, at the junction of the D19, D20, D996 and the D915 roads. The commune is on the border with the department of Allier and is served by a TER railway link to Montluçon.

The river Tardes flows into the Cher in the commune, 7.5 km (4.7 mi) north of the town.

Population

Sights

• The church of St. Peter & Paul, dating from the eleventh century.
• The seventeenth century châteaux of Relibert and Monterolle.
• The church of Notre-Dame.
• Remains of an old convent.
• The chapel of Saint Marien.
• Vestiges of the town gates and walls.
• Châteaux de Relibert, Monterolle.
• Vestiges of the Roman baths.
• The Tardes viaduct, by Gustave Eiffel.
• The war memorial.
• The eleventh-century chapel of Saint Radegonde.

• 
  Viaduct over the Tardes
• 
  A suspension bridge
• 
  Saint Marien's hermitage
• 
  Church steeple

See also

• Communes of the Creuse department

References

External links

• Official commune website (in French)
• Tourist Office website (in French)