The best traffic-free bike rides around Saint-Rémy-Des-Monts

The place that gives its name to the surrounding forest. An abbey founded in 1145 by monks from the Abbey of Citeaux in search of silence and isolation. Now, only a ruined section remains, visible through the foliage from the road. Note that these ruins are located on the grounds of the oldest summer camp still in operation in France.

This 11th century medieval bridge is a beautiful place to contemplate Beaumont-sur-Sarthe for a short moment. In addition to the river, you can see the castle located on the heights of the town.

The church of St Pierre des Ormes holds an important place in the heart of the village, surrounded by its pretty flowerbeds. Dating from the 11th and 12th centuries, it has retained its Romanesque portal. After crossing it, you cross the narthex to reach a second door which opens onto the main nave of the building. The wooden vault is barrel-vaulted. An extension was made in the 16th century by adding a side aisle, with two windows which would become dormers. The small door with Renaissance decoration opened onto the cemetery, then adjoining. The current choir was built in the 19th century. The altar is made with two hemp braies supporting a beautiful wooden board. Note, on each side of the choir, wooden niches, one of which houses a statue of St John (with an eagle). A pilgrimage was organized every September 8th to Saint Gourgon, because the fountain was reputed to cure eye diseases. Very popular until the beginning of the 20th century, it was gradually abandoned. The fountain, now filled in, was located in the cellar of a house near the current town hall.

Saint-Rémy Church from the 11th and 16th centuries. Stained glass windows from the 20th century. Altarpiece of the Saint-Julien chapel from the 17th century.

The church of Commerveil is built on a simple plan with a single nave and a straight chevet. According to the town hall's research, this small church dates from the 11th, 12th and 17th centuries. Its small spire can be seen from afar and its ogival windows match its size. Inside, the altarpiece dates from the middle of the 18th century. Behind the wooden tabernacle, we discover a painting representing the Assumption of the Virgin. To the right of the large marble altar, is the statue of Saint Anne and to the left that of the Holy Virgin. On the side aisles, to the right above the altarpiece of the Sacred Heart, we see in a niche the statue of Saint John the Baptist with a sheep. To the left, above the altarpiece of the Virgin with the Sorrowful Heart, is in a niche a statue of Saint Magdeleine. These two altarpieces, in marble and sculpted stone and partly gilded, date from the 17th and 18th centuries and have been listed as historical monuments since 1982. At the top of the nave, there is a Christ on the cross, probably made of wood. A statue of St. Gilles, placed on a wooden base, is located on the back wall of the church. Note a painted paneled vault that dates from the 19th century. The restoration of the church was carried out in the early 1980s.

The Church of Saint-Rémy appears on the cartulary of the Abbey of Saint-Vincent du Mans, however, as usual, it was the Bishop of Le Mans who had the collation of the priest. Rectangular in plan, it has a single nave and a straight chevet lit by a triplet, which was hidden by the installation of a high altar. The church was enlarged in the 15th and 16th centuries by two chapels, placed to the north and south of the nave. The church has some remarkable pieces of furniture: a Christ on the cross and a Saint Anne, in stone, from the 16th century; the tympanum of a stained glass window, open in the south wall, depicting the angels carrying the Instruments of the Passion (16th century); a Pietà in stone from the 16th or 17th century; a Charity of Saint Martin, in stone (15th century). two wooden statues from the 18th century, Saint Leo Fort, pope, and Saint James (mistakenly identified as Saint Martin). Benefiting from a policy of the General Council of Sarthe in favor of contemporary artists, eight bays in this church were entrusted to Michel Madore (Montreal, 1949- ). The work focused on the restoration of the roof and the framework of two bays of the nave. The entire ridge was refinished in lead, including the simple finial, thus replacing the glazed tiles and the terracotta finial.

The Chapitrel is the name given to the entrance gate. The period door is in the Renaissance style. This construction had several functions: It was reserved for catechumens who were not allowed to enter the church and served as a warehouse for farmers who sold at the market on Sunday mornings. The saddleback tower dates from 1545. It is 28 m high. It is square and has four levels. Each floor is separated by an external Roussard belt called a "larmier" which overhangs quite widely, preventing water from running off. At the top of the roof are two granite crosses, each topped with a copper weather vane representing a crowned dragon's head.

Saint-Martin Chapel. It dates from the 12th or 13th century. It is made of granite, roussard sandstone and brick. This small chapel is lost in the middle of the fields. It is a simple rectangular nave which has a Romanesque window at its chevet.