"Au détour d'une Petite Cité de Caractère" hiking trail

Voted 2nd Favourite Village of the French in 2021
Situated on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Sarthe River, the town has grown up around the castle since the late 9th century. Its narrow streets will take you from the church to the castle gate, via the covered market.

When the church was built in the 12th century, it comprised just the nave and choir. The transept was not added until the 19th century. The decorative use of local stone – Roussard sandstone – served as a model for many other churches in the area. One of the church’s jewels, the carved oak door dates from 1528: the left-hand door depicts the Old Testament with the Tree of Jesse, while the right-hand door depicts the New Testament with the 12 Apostles.

Since the Middle Ages, but especially from the 17th century onwards, Maine has been renowned for its textiles. This part of the region quickly specialized in hemp cloth, which was grown in the countryside. Numerous buildings remain from this period, including hemp kilns (Saint-Victeur), weavers’ houses, the Fresnay market hall…

A sensitive natural area, the Coteau des Vignes offers a magnificent view over the town of Fresnay. As in many places, Fresnay has long had vines, which disappeared in the 1920s with phylloxera. Since June 2013, they have been replanted…