The best road cycling routes around Chantenay-Villedieu

The foundations of Saint-Pierre Church likely date back several centuries, perhaps replacing an older structure. It has witnessed the changes in Voutré, from times of prosperity to more difficult periods. Significant historical events, community celebrations, and local transformations have left their mark on the walls of this church, making it a place where local history comes to life.

The church dates from the early 12th century. It is a church enclosed within its cemetery. It retains the typical features of small rural churches of the 12th century. It has preserved its apse, its gable-roofed bell tower, its small Romanesque windows, its arcades with a barrel-vaulted transept, and the exposed timbers of its nave. In addition to 14th-century wall paintings, discovered by chance in 1888 by workers whitewashing the interior of the sanctuary, the building houses an 18th-century tuffeau altarpiece, a 15th-century baptismal font, and a 16th-century terracotta statue of the Virgin. The church is part of the parish of Saint-Pierre-du-Maine. The church has been listed as a historic monument since May 8, 1958. The altarpiece, the baptismal font, and the Virgin and Child are listed as historical objects.

Parish Church of Saints Peter and Paul. The parish was once part of the archdeaconry of Sablé and was under the jurisdiction of the bishopric of Le Mans. It is only mentioned in texts from the 12th century onwards. The construction of the building, however, predates these first mentions and dates back to the first half of the 11th century. Most of the nave survives from this early church, whose south wall features a narrow, semicircular bay, dressed in red sandstone. The north wall partially collapsed in 1558 and was rebuilt shortly after. To the south, at the junction of the nave and the choir, the bell tower was added in the 12th century. It is a massive tower supported at the corners by buttresses; it is quadrangular in plan and built outside the building. At its summit, this tower features two levels of openings on each side: first, a relatively wide, double-arched bay, surmounted by two narrower, semicircular openings. It is covered with a saddleback roof, a feature found in several surrounding churches. Its eastern face is flanked by an apse housing a chapel dedicated to Saint Louis. A doorway in the tower's west wall, with a lintel carved with an ogee (opened in the late 15th or early 16th century), provides access from the outside. The choir, whose drip walls are built in line with the nave walls, was built in the 13th century on the site of a more modest choir. It features a flat chevet pierced by two narrow pointed-arch windows (blocked during the construction of the altarpiece). The same type of openings are found on its side walls. As with the nave, the main structure is made of sandstone rubble, but for this part, the walls are supported by buttresses with dressed stone glacis. These are joined at their summit by a very crude modillioned cornice, which is particularly visible on the north face. Internally, the building forms an elongated volume, with the choir and nave separated by a thick wall pierced by a double-rolled pointed arch: the nave and choir occupy two-thirds and one-third of the space, respectively. Despite some modest later alterations, the church retains its ancient appearance. The furnishings were largely renewed in the second half of the 18th century. The three limestone altarpieces, built in 1766 at the initiative of the priest Jacques-René Guitton de l'Écluse, are the work of an architect from Précigné (Sarthe) named Lalande. The main altarpiece, placed against the apse wall, is concave in shape. It comprises three bays and retains its ancient statuary: Saint Peter and Saint Paul, patron saints of the church, in the side niches, and Saint Anne and the Virgin Mary in the upper one. The center is occupied by a painting depicting the Adoration of the Magi, a copy after Rubens. The side altars, located at the entrance to the choir, are dedicated to the Virgin and Saint Julian. A wrought iron arch serves as a beam of glory: it is the work of a local marshal, Château. A few years later, in 1785, a new baptismal font was installed, as was a pulpit (Perret, carpenter). In 2004, the Sauvegarde de l'Art français (French Art Protection Agency) granted €4,000 in aid for the repair of the roof and the installation of a lightning rod.

The Church of Our Lady of Sablé-sur-Sarthe is believed to have been built in the 15th century. Extensively restored over the centuries, it now boasts a late 18th-century neo-Gothic style, which has helped to highlight its medieval architecture. During the third quarter of the 17th century, the church's high altar was restored, and at the end of the first quarter of the 18th century, three new bells were cast by workshops in Le Mans. Finally, in the mid-18th century, the bell tower was rebuilt, as we can still see it today.

The nave and bell tower were built in the 12th century. The choir and its ribbed vault decorated with painted sculptures were built in the following century, while the south chapel dates from the 16th century. The church underwent extensive renovations in the 19th century, when the nave and transept were rebuilt. A fire struck the church in 1900, leading to a further reconstruction of the nave, transept, sacristy, and the upper part of the bell tower. The choir of the building has been listed as a historic monument since December 9, 1926.

Nice view from the bridge

Beautiful view of the Sarthe

very beautiful castle, on the edge of the departmental road.