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ST-AIGNAN , 15km south of Montrichard, and a good stopover for cyclists, is a small town comprising a cluster of houses below a huge Romanesque collegiate church and sixteenth-century chateau. Its main sight is the Collegiale de St-Aignan (Mon-Sat 9am-8pm, Sun 1-8pm), which features some of the best ecclesiastical decoration in the region. Its capitals are adorned with mermaids, a multi-bodied snake biting its own necks, a man's head tunnelled by an eagle, doleful dragons and other wonders of the twelfth-century imagination, while in the crypt there are some very well-preserved, brightly coloured late twelfth-century frescoes. St-Aignan lends itself to aimless wandering, with the chateau grounds accessible to the public and some pleasant walks down by the river - or a swim if you feel inclined. On the road bridge above the long island facing the town is the Maison du Vin, open for tastings and sales of Coteaux du Cher wines (July & Aug). On the mainland east of the bridge, at 21 quai J.-J.-Delorme, Promenades sur le Cher runs boat trips (departures 3pm & 5pm: April, June, Sept & Oct Sat, Sun & bank hols; July & Aug daily; tel 02.54.71.40.38; 55F/?8.38); or you can rent a houseboat (2100-2500F/?320-380 for four people for a weekend) and explore the Berry Canal, which joins the river at St-Aignan. At the Base Nautique Les Couflons, a couple of kilometres upstream in SEIGY , you can windsurf, canoe and sail. Bikes can be rented in town from Le Tandem, 54 rue Constant-Ragot. For a good break from ancient aristocratic artefacts, St-Aignan has the Zoo Parc de Beauval (daily 9am-dusk; 62F/?9.45), 2km to the south of town on the D675. The space given to the animals is ample, and it's part of the European programme for breeding threatened species in captivity to reintroduce them to the wild. From a human viewpoint the park is very attractive, with sumptuous flower beds giving way to suitably wild areas of woods, little streams and lakes where the islands provide natural enclosures for some of the monkeys. Two hothouses with tropical flowers and greenery are home to an extraordinary collection of tropical birds and to a large group of chimpanzees and two families of orang-utans. But the creature most children will want to take home with them is the rare white tiger, in particular the ultimate fantasy cuddly pet, Katharina, the first cub to be bred in France.
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