Monuments to visit Pays De La Loire

One of the few known bifaces wayside (th century), representing on one side the Crucifixion and the other the Visitation. Pen ar ran means in Breton state point.

Classified by Historical Monuments.

On the hills of Pouzauges, in a site with a remarkable panorama, two windmills built a century apart, in the 18th and 19th centuries, stand side by side. It is very rare today to find two windmills side by side in such good condition. The mills of Terrier Marteau are among the rare mills to have preserved this type of operation. In 1848 a wooden slat system that could be folded along the yard and greatly facilitated the work, often replaced the sails (Berton system). The millstones of the mills crush the wheat to produce flour. The visit, which lasts about 1 hour, allows you to understand how flour is made. During the renovation of the site in 2017, the association wanted to give a real economic activity to the mills. This is why tons of wheat are now transformed into organic flour, sold on site and in the city's shops. Some days the miller (who is also a baker) is present and takes advantage of the wood-fired oven to offer visitors his round of breads and brioches. Near the two windmills, an annex building allows the making of bread and a wood-fired oven, carefully preserved, allows the baking of bread and brioche. The crushed wheat becomes flour, some days the baker transforms it into bread and then bakes it in the wood-fired oven. A mini-farm with two donkeys in particular, captivates the children, while the older ones discover the wheat route and the life of the mills.

The foundations of the fortress date from the year 984. They were ordered by countess Aremberge. Charles VIII decided to shave the castle before rebuilding it in the fifteenth century. The unique remnants of the ancient medieval enclosure are the two large, massive entrance towers. One can still see part of the fortress, leftovers and a polygonal bastion. In the courtyard there is a Renaissance logis of 1535 recently restored with its high-fronted windows and its square tower. Some pavilions were added in the seventeenth century. In 1977, the castle was classified as a historic monument and became property of the City in 1986. Starting in the 1990 s, work was undertaken: demolition of the nineteenth century chapel and the school building of the 1960 s and restoration of the châtelet.

In the place of the Moulin du Moulin, two ogival arches classified in the th and th centuries had a hanged mill, whose wheels, easily steerable, were adaptaient to the Loire movements. Then push up to the small village of Patache, haunted by the memories of the sailors who lived there once.

Its construction dates back to 1690. This massive building has walls of a metre thick and a stone vault doubles the slate cover. It is one of the three Garde guard bodies to shelter the coastguard militia. He was part of the harbour of the coastguards whose authority stretched from the Croisic to La Roche-Bernard.

A former fortified manor house of the 1826 th century, which only remains monumental after its destruction in. He was the property of the Tournemine and the Protestant wedding of Peter de Tournemine and Mary de Kermarec were celebrated there.

From the th century, it retained only its doorway of ogival form. It served as a place of worship for Protestants in the sixteenth century because Piriac was with Careil and Le Croisic a stronghold of Protestantism.

The original square tower of this water mill is an eye-catcher, built at the beginning of the 20th century, andwas inspired by a stay in Italy by the owner at the time. And if you are wondering how a mill works, why not take the opportunity to visit it? Still in working order, he remains the only one to grind his grain thanks to the hydraulic energy he draws from the Mayenne River. During the visit, you will learn everything about the technique used for ages by millers. With its 7 m diameter paddle wheel, hydraulic turbine, 145 pulleys, 470 m of belts and manufacturing machines, wheat is transformed into flour in a more elaborate way than we can imagine. Since February 2007, the Chenillé-Changé mill has diversified its activities. In addition to the production of flour, which can be bought in the shop, it has caught up with modern times, becoming an electricity producer. An informative visit, we come out a little less stupid!

Gerbetière is a noble house whose name comes from gerbernate, which used to name a place where the blades were stored and located just near the house. John James Audubon (1785-1851) was a multi-disciplinary man, both painter, scholar, scholar, poet and adventurer. Naturalist and famous animal artist, he spent his youth in Couëron. Its childhood home, La Gerbetière, is visible in the street that bears its name. Until 1821, she appeared on the Audubon family before being bought by the mayor of Couëron in 2003. The stay is only on the Heritage Days.

Built in the th century, this church is crowned with one of the curiosities of the region: the balls-twisted, whose arrows, instead of straight point to the clouds, offer amazing twists. One does not end up wondering about the origin of these forms: wood distortion, human will… or maléfices? It even says that, on the occasion of the marriage of two twin twins with two twin brothers, a curious inversion would have occurred, causing movement on the parochial left of the bell. You can choose the version that best suits you… after you are on the spot. This steeple is one of the five clochers twisted in the region, all within a radius of 10 km: Fougeré, Mouliherne, Pontigné, Old-Baugé.

François David and Olivier Leconte thrive on a large vineyard completely converted to organic production and put some of the jewels of winemaking wine in Anjou in white Anjou, Anjou-villages, rosé, both dry and soft.

Built in the th century, it is one of the oldest castles of France, one of the examples of the country's best preserved carolingian architecture, and was thus logically promoted Archaeological Site of national interest. Pelle and draws do not stop handing over the secrets of the castle like these 9 cavities, dug in the ground and corresponding to the traces of an earlier wooden building built on a pile of piles. A few years ago, an underground room for the th or th centuries was updated. Meanwhile, the castle does not visit.

Gennes was an important Gallo-Roman city because of its privileged position on the Loire and trade routes. There are still many remains of this period, more or less well preserved, of which the most remarkable is the amphitheatre of Mazerolles. Considered the largest Gallo-Roman amphitheatre in the west, it could accommodate up to 5,000 spectators. Its construction is original: on the hillside, the cellars of the arena were dug; only the podium and the surrounding wall were built. During the Empire, the theatre organised the circus games, which saw gladiators and animals confront each other, but also naumachia (water fights) thanks to a machinery that allowed to flood the arena. One of its main characteristics is its perfectly preserved terracotta drainage pavement. This amphitheatre and other remains discovered - baths, temples, aqueduct, habitat - were part of a vast Gallo-Roman complex built at the end of the 1st century AD and used until the beginning of the 3rd century. Finally, an area of habitat has recently been revealed during an archaeological diagnosis that completes the observations already established. For the time being, the researchers hypothesize that Gennes would have been a large sanctuary in a rural area and a place of conciliation before the conquest of Gaul. Guided tours and animations help to make these ruins full of history talk!

You sit on a bench facing the castle and a 20-metre high water jet rises in front of you! As you sit down, you have just activated the mechanism of a contemporary work of art by Jeppe Hein. When you get up, the jet falls back, which surprises you a ^second time. And you wonder: that's exactly what the artist wants! The work Did I Miss Something? ("Did I miss something?"), has been relocated here for the Estuaire 2012 art event. Indeed, it had been installed on the Loire in 2007, but the currents had damaged the mechanism. Enjoy the wooded park and on Sundays, visit the guest rooms decorated by artists!

Housed in th century turrets, the th century building was undoubtedly the residence of the Dukes of Alençon, whose coat of arms still appears on the facade.

The city hall and its gardens reflect in part the beauty of this small, belmontais village. The Specialities know well, tourists also travel to visit this wonderful corner. And city hall is an essential step.

Visit by appointment in the afternoon from May to September.

We would like to point out that the wheel of this mill no longer exists. Only the interior remains inside the mill.

Built in the seventeenth century with a fortress destroyed by the English during the Hundred Years War, the castle was enlarged and restored at the end of the nineteenth century. Located at 260 m above sea level, at the edge of the Perseigne Forest, it enjoys a beautiful panorama. However, the castle does not visit. The church, former chapel of the castle today, is open during the Heritage Days. But nothing prevents you from enjoying the point of view and admiring the castle by far.

They ceased their activity in 1875. A blast furnace, the houses of the founder and his clerk at the Étang Pond, the house of the master of the forges at the pond of Provostière are the remains.

You can see it at the entrance of La Turballe, on the road to Saint-Molf, at the place called Les Quatre Routes.... Rue du Moulin! Formerly called "Moulin de Maincrom" (the curved stone), named after the plot where it was built in the 18th century, it was modernised in 1893: it was raised by one floor and provided with a second pair of wheels, equipped with the Berton system and an orientation reel (butterfly). Its construction dates back to the 18th century, but it was valiantly ground wheat and barley until 1969. A visit to this windmill reveals the mechanism that crushes the grain and extracts the flour. On 4 levels, the strength of the wings, 52 m² of sail area, drives the spinning wheel, the lantern, the big iron, which, in turn, by various gears, rotate the sorter, the running wheel, the blender, to obtain the fine flower and the oatmeal... A miller's house, next door, a former storage place, presents a collection of objects from the past in order to bring back to life the time when the donkey came and went between the farm and the mill... and that the wings turned in the wind... These items were collected from donors. Among the objects are: headdresses and costumes, embossing and ironing irons, lace, heaters, clogs... The miller's house can be visited free of charge, in addition to the visit to the mill.

The bell tower of the church Notre-Dame-de-Mercy, known as Trescalan Church, offers the highest view of the peninsula. At a height of 33 m, it rises on the hillside at 45 m above sea level. At the origin of the construction, the bell was finalized in its upper part by a dome roof. A panoramic bezel allows very beautiful views and a complete overview of the entire landscape extending from the mouth of the Loire to that of the Vilaine, towards the wide and the islands of Morbihan and towards the great Brière. To access it, you have to climb 110 steps. After a 1 ^st level you can discover the arch of the church's frame. The church, for its part, includes many curiosities such as the ship Pie IX, ex-voto suspended in the choir, the statue of Notre-Dame-de-Brandu (Virgin to the Child) and the statue of polychrome wood dressed in Saint Brigitte.