The best road cycling routes around Le Fenouiller

Small village worth a detour, especially for its beautiful, perfectly preserved medieval church and the Rairé mill.

The Saint-Martin church is a 11th and 12th century church located in Sallertaine, France. It belongs to the diocese of Luçon. It is dedicated to Saint Martin. This church is the remnant of an old priory founded at the beginning of the 11th century, dependent on the abbey of Marmoutier. Some masonry from the primitive church remains in the walls. The current state of the building is the result of a major reconstruction carried out at the end of the 12th century. The church was consecrated in 1173 by the bishop of Poitiers. The vaulting of the crossing of the transept presents a unique curiosity in the West of France. Clearly seeking to imitate the so-called Plantagenet Gothic style, the master mason, who does not seem familiar with this new technique, created a Romanesque dome, sufficient in itself, which he adorned with ribs, without structural necessity, but which gives it an appearance evoking the Angevin vaults. Some elements of frescoes remain in the nave, which was once entirely covered, particularly an exceptional crucifixion where Christ still has his eyes open. Part of the nave was demolished. The church suffered damage in 1568 during the Wars of Religion. Major restorations took place from 1617 onwards. The narrow Romanesque windows were enlarged, the crossing is surmounted by a timber spire. Three altarpieces adorn the apse and the transepts, leading to the destruction of the south absidiole and the installation of the sacristy in the south one, separated from the transept by a wall supporting the new altar. Damaged during the revolution, becoming too narrow in the 19th century, it was replaced by a new parish church in 1906. It should then have been destroyed, but Father Grelier, an archaeology enthusiast, managed to have it classified as a historical monument in 1910 and 1912. However, the classification did not include the western end of the nave, which the municipality had demolished in 1915. https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancienne_%C3%A9glise_Saint-Martin_de_Sallertaine

The Saint-Martin church is an 11th and 12th century church located in Sallertaine, France[1]. It belongs to the diocese of Luçon. It is dedicated to Saint Martin. This church is the remainder of an old priory founded at the beginning of the 11th century, dependent on the abbey of Marmoutier. Some masonry from the primitive church remains in the walls. The current state of the building is the result of a major reconstruction carried out at the end of the 12th century. The church was consecrated in 1173 by the bishop of Poitiers. The vaulting of the crossing of the transept presents a unique curiosity in Western France. Clearly seeking to imitate the so-called Plantagenet Gothic style, the master mason, who does not seem familiar with this new technique, created a Romanesque dome, sufficient in itself, which he adorned with ribs, without structural necessity, but which gives it an appearance evoking the Angevin vaults. Some elements of frescoes remain in the nave, which was once entirely covered, particularly an exceptional crucifixion because Christ still has his eyes open. Part of the nave has been demolished. The church suffered damage in 1568 during the Wars of Religion. Major restorations took place from 1617. The narrow Romanesque windows were enlarged, the crossing is surmounted by a timber spire. Three altarpieces adorn the apse and the transepts, leading to the destruction of the south absidiole and the installation of the sacristy in the southern one, separated from the transept by a wall supporting the new altar. Damaged during the revolution, becoming too narrow in the 19th century, it was replaced by a new parish church in 1906. It should then have been destroyed, but Abbot Grelier, passionate about archaeology, managed to have it classified as a historical monument in 1910 and 1912. However, the classification only included the western end of the nave, which the municipality had demolished in 1915. https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancienne_%C3%A9glise_Saint-Martin_de_Sallertaine

Many legends surround the 5 Pineaux. These five special boulders are an integral part of the landscape of Sion. They could be the remains of a bridge to the Ile d'Yeu or 5 petrified monks who were imprisoned to guard the nearby "Devil's Hole" that can be discovered in the vicinity.

Catholic church built under the orders of architect Ballereau. It was completed in March 1899. The bells, moved from the old church, were hidden by the inhabitants in a pond during the Revolution, then recovered by Father Rousseau. Made of bronze, today listed, they are named "Révérend Luce" 1730 and "Gabrielle" 1763. A stained glass window dating from 1794 depicts Father Petiot, another depicts the patron saint of the parish, Saint-Révérend. https://www.payssaintgilles-tourisme.fr/patrimoine-culturel/eglise-saint-reverend/

Old-fashioned road signs - route departementale

Le Moulin Neuf, now converted into a dwelling (photo below), is located in the village. It is listed on the Napoleonic cadastre, so its construction dates between 1750 and 1830. http://moulinsetmeuniers.free.fr/photocanton.html/canton_de_saint_gilles_croix_de_vie/fenouiller.html

The Catholic church Église Saint-Révérend in the municipality of the same name in the Vendée department (85220 Saint-Révérend, 1 bis Rue du Maréchal de Lattre de Tassigny) was built under architect Ballereau and completed in March 1899. It is part of the parish of Saint-Nicolas de Coëx and preserves historical bronze bells from the 18th century. Bells: The bronze bells "Révérend Luce" (from 1730) and "Gabrielle" (from 1763) come from the previous church. Villagers hid them in a pond during the French Revolution before they were later rescued. Stained glass windows: A stained glass window from 1794 depicts Abbé Petiot, another shows the church patron Saint-Révérend in priestly vestments.