Artins

Artins is a commune in the Loir-et-Cher department in central France.

History

The name derives from the Gallo-Roman Artinis.
The historic Romanesque church, dedicated to Saint Julien, at a ford in the Loir river, fell into ruins when development occurred nearer a departmental route at a site known as Le Plat d'Etain. It has since been restored by local initiative for cultural purposes.
Popular tradition would have it that Artins is older than Le Mans and that St. Julien evinced a dragon who had taken up residence in a temple. A pilgrimage celebrating this feat survived into the mid-twentieth century.
The hillside is marked by a former Commanderie and the manor of Rocheturpin. Just below these and above the Plat d'Etain is the present neo-gothic church. The lower hillside is marked by a series of caves often used as wine-cellars.