Degrés Rabelais

St.-Aignan is built on the left bank of the Cher River. Its château sits high up on a bluff above the the only bridge on the river for miles in each direction. The town itself is built on the river and on the eastern flank of that bluff. Consequently, the town's streets must climb.

At the foot of les degrés Rabelais. That's an insurance agency on the right. "Zéro blah-blah, zéro tracas, MMA."

A few of the town's streets are simply staircases built where the slope was too great for any other type of traffic. These stairs are referred to as degrés, an old word for "steps," on the big tourist maps in town.

The Degrés Rabelais climbs up from the rue Paul-Boncour directly to the collégial church. It's named for the famous French writer François Rabelais who was a native of Chinon, farther west in the Touraine region.