The best traffic-free bike rides around Coulonges-Sur-Sarthe

Paved road by 2025.

In the center of Randonnai, the 16th-century Saint-Malo church, enlarged in 1836, houses several works classified as Historic Monuments, including a classical altarpiece with paintings of Saint Andrew and Saint Sebastian. Funeral slabs serve as threshold steps. Inside, a plaque commemorates the departure of Pierre Tremblay (whose birthplace is in La Filonnière) in 1647 for New France. He is the ancestor of the Tremblays of Quebec and North America.

Built at the end of the 12th century, the church belonged to the former diocese of Saintes. It has been restored several times, notably in the 15th century. Rectangular building with a straight chevet. A single nave with a ribbed vault. Sculpted column capitals. In the transept, a dome on pendentives. Chancel with a ribbed vault and a large 13th-century chevet window. On the north side of the chancel, a large pointed arch gives access to a ribbed vaulted chapel. The western façade dates from the 13th century, with a pointed arch portal with three arches on round columns. Two chamfered pilasters separate the portal from the blind doors and rise to the top of the façade. Above this ground floor and set back are three pointed arch arcades with sculpted figures (seated Virgin, shepherds guided by an angel, three wise men). On each side, twin arcades with pointed arches with heads, fantastic animals, diamond points and crockets. On the transept rises a square bell tower.

A building constructed in the 11th and 12th centuries. It was then just a simple chapel built on a temple, which was subsequently remodeled numerous times over the centuries. The choir, narrower and higher than the rest, is believed to have been built on tombs from the old cemetery, from which a 10th-century Merovingian sarcophagus made of Roussard sandstone was extracted and is on display outside the church.

Nestled on hillsides painted with ochre, yellow, or pink sand, limestone, and lights, Mortagne-au-Perche is a must-see for anyone wanting to explore Le Perche. A favorite holiday resort of the Counts of Perche and their wives, Mortagne-au-Perche has managed to preserve its monuments and historical heritage. This medieval town brimming with character is recommended for exploring by bike or on foot.

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.

A first church was founded in 1070 by the Bishop of Le Mans, Guillaume de Passavant. The current building consists of a nave with two bays and an elongated choir narrower than the nave. The two aisles are unequal, the northern one being narrower than the southern one. A sacristy has been added to the east of the choir. The bell tower, almost square in plan, is located to the south of the choir, it is topped with a saddleback roof: it is the most authentic element of the whole, despite a very cemented coating. Three small bays with a pointed arch have been opened on the east side, two on the south side. The western facade, restored in the 19th century, has a semicircular portal resting on engaged columns with two Romanesque-style capitals. A tall semicircular window was opened late on the first level of the gable wall. The windows of the side façades are in pointed arches, their flamboyant network could date from the 16th century. The last bay of the choir is lit by a high semicircular window which dates, like the large façade window, from the 19th century. The interior of the church is covered with wooden barrel vaults whose decoration dates from the last century. The main altarpiece and the side altarpieces are of quality; the church has preserved its wooden pews. In 2002, the Sauvegarde de l’Art français granted a sum of €12,000 for the repair of the exterior plasterwork.

small, gentle climb coming from Allieres Beauvoir