Travel Guide Sougé-Le-Ganelon

Between Saint-Léonard-des-Bois and Fresnay-sur-Sarthe, this commune of 900 inhabitants originated in the priory of Saint Martin built in 835. This priory depended on the monastery of the Couture du Mans. Its hexagonal tower at angles of spatter is visible from the road of Saint-Léonard-des-Bois. In the face of the church, its windows with large shells, topped by important shells, remind you that the site is on a pilgrimage route from Santiago de Compostela. The church of Saint Martin dates from the same time but, like many rural churches in the region, it has been transformed over the centuries. If his current nef dates back to the Romanesque period (twelfth century), a small sacristie was assistant in 1700. In 1847, a new chapel was built and reserved for the Gaudinière blacksmiths. In 1900, a new metal-frame bell, with a slate arrow, replaced the old bell tower with the collapse of the Romanesque façade. You can also mention the Escole Corbin manor, a former school founded in the fifteenth century for the training of girls, now private property. By his will of September 7, 1631, Marguerite Corbin de Boispitard made an important legacy in favor of the school, which took his name.In the city hall, next to the portrait of the President of the Republic, there was Robert Tournelle who was mayor of the village and resisted, arrested and died in deportation in 1945.Today the priory Saint Martin, private property, houses a charming rural cottage with a large enclosed garden.