The best traffic-free bike rides around Ballon-Saint-Mars

Nice route, fairly flat and rolling with lovely quiet country roads on the way back

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 oldest parts of this church seem to date from the Middle Ages, but the building was greatly remodeled in the 16th century. The side chapels were added at this time, as was the opening of the large stained glass window of the choir. The steeple, restored in the 19th century, is covered with slate. Inside the church, two polychrome statues attract attention. One of the Virgin in terracotta, the other of Saint Barbara in stone, dating from the 17th and 18th centuries. A wooden Christ is also worth noting. The wooden stalls date from the 18th century, as does the altarpiece of the high altar (1755). The wrought iron communion railing dating from the 18th century is still in place. Its rocaille-style ornamentation is common at this time. Until 1911, the church was surrounded by its cemetery.

Of Romanesque origin, the church of Louvigny has undergone many transformations over time. Among other things, the altars and the altarpiece were donated in the 18th century by Mr. François Thébault, a wealthy donor born in Louvigny. A commemorative plaque was erected in his memory in the sacristy of the church after it was found at the end of the 19th century by Father Chartrain, then parish priest, on the roof of his presbytery, in place of a tile. It is likely that it was thus protected from the pillaging of the Revolution. The steeple dates from the 19th century. It replaced a campanile. It was also in the 19th century that the stained glass windows, the Stations of the Cross and the baptismal font were installed. Generally made of stone, these are very original, since decorated in the Napoleon III style, the period of their manufacture, they are made of cast iron and undoubtedly a fine example of the industrial production of this time. The portal, typically Romanesque, is preceded by two steps in which an eight-pointed star and a cross are drawn. This is perhaps a summary of the life of Christ, from the Star of the Nativity to the Crucifixion. Several elements classified as Historic Monuments have been restored over the last few years, thanks to subsidies from the State and the Department of Sarthe, as well as the generosity of subscribers to the Fondation du Patrimoine. Thus, the remarkable tabernacle of the high altar in gilded wood. Painted in faux marble in the 18th century, it is one of the largest tabernacles preserved in Sarthe. The painting located just above, also superbly restored, and attributed to François Mongendre (1644-1690), represents Saint Germain d’Auxerre meeting Saint Geneviève as a child.

The Church of Saint Pierre and Saint Paul in Ancinnes is in its original part from the 11th and 12th centuries. It was modified in the middle of the 19th century by the addition of a transept which gives it the shape of a Latin cross. ​ The Organ of the Church of Saint Pierre and Saint Paul in Ancinnes was built by the Damiens brothers in the middle of the 19th century (1863) following the late 18th century. It was the work of Abbé Dubois, priest of Ancinnes from 1843 to 1865. This organ, built by the brothers Louis and Robert Damiens, organ builders in Gaillon (Eure) remains, today, one of the only survivors in the region in working order. It is a unique instrument due to its size, which can be heard as the Damiens brothers would have wished. They built 85 instruments, including 3 in Sarthe. The others were abandoned, looted or burned. Previously the Damiens brothers were wheelwrights, which explains the robustness and solidity of their organs. These organs were built to last. The Ancinnes Organ has about fifteen stops divided between two manual keyboards and a pedal keyboard of 13 notes and 850 pipes. The 12th century openings of the nave, alternating limestone and roussard, remain in the state of vestiges being walled up or enlarged in the 19th century. In the 12th/14th century, a door was opened in the gable while the bell tower and the choir rose, which retain pointed arches and trefoil tracery. Boucher built the North chapel in 1854. Chadaigne, from Alençon, repainted the entire interior around 1860 representing the Eucharist and the story of Saint Peter. A staircase tower was built against the bell tower in 1895.

Very popular Market Square

Contemporary art center, work of art and architecture in the village. Unmissable, too bad the cycle path doesn’t go there

very pretty