Trade and circulation in the Loire Valley during the Carolingian period: the case study of the monastery of Cormery

International audienceThe cella of Cormery was established in the Indre valley at the end of the 8th century by an abbot of St Martin of Tours. The small monastery was located approximately 20 km from the famous funerary complex, which housed the remains of the bishop Martin. The supply of St Martin’s people was based on the river system of the Loire valley, which allowed the carriage of resources from the countryside to Tours. The settlement of Cormery is excluded from this network because the Indre River was not supposed to be navigable during the Carolingian period because of the presence of mills along its route. On the basis of the 9th-10th century charters of the monastery, let us propose to reconsider this hypothesis and include Cormery into the monastic exchange network of the Loire valley