The best road cycling routes around Sainte-Gemmes-Sur-Loire

In 1760, Laurent Bertholet, the village priest, rebuilt the church and had the bells recast. Dedicated to Saint Augustine in the 18th century, the church measured 15 meters long by 7.40 meters wide, with a chancel (4 meters by 3.25 meters) and a sanctuary (2 meters by 4.20 meters). The bell tower now houses three bells: Pauline, Louise, and Bernadette. The stained-glass window in the center of the chancel was a gift from Mr. and Mrs. de la Perrière. In 1789, the parish of Saint-Augustin-des-Bois was renamed, like all other parishes bearing the name of a saint. It was then called "Le Grand Bois" (The Great Wood). The grievance notebooks provide us with information about village life: “The poor abound among the hemp growers, as well as among the tenant farmers and sharecroppers scattered throughout the woods and heathland, who saw their work reduced to nothing by the invasions of does, stags, badgers, wild boars, rabbits, partridges… all sorts of predatory animals that destroy rural property.” The presbytery, for its part, was acquired by the municipality in 1825, and the cemetery was moved outside the village in 1808.

The church, located in the village of Saint-Rémy-la-Varenne, dates from the first half of the 11th century and was then dependent on the Abbey of Saint-Aubin d'Angers; its rich past is reflected in its architecture. We enter the vaulted chapel (added to the original building in the 19th century) with the baptismal font. We discover the nave, which is connected to a bay whose 13th century vault rests on older walls. We then enter the choir, the only part of the building with a 12th century vault, where we can admire the ceiling with a pointed barrel vault. Outside the church, we see the Benedictine priory of Saint-Rémy-la-Varenne, a picturesque building founded in 929 that was formerly dependent on the Abbey of Saint-Aubin d'Angers. This church, open from Easter to All Saints' Day, is part of the network of "Reception churches in Anjou" open to the public. Source: https://www.anjou-tourisme.com/fr/diffusio/visites/eglise-de-saint-remy-la-varenne-brissac-loire-aubance

A large wide beach is waiting for you here. Enjoy the golden yellow vast sandbank and the wonderfully fresh water.

The Abbey of Saint-Maur de Glanfeuil is an abbey in Thoureil. According to legend, in the 6th century, Saint Benedict sent a disciple named Maurus , a monk from Monte Cassino , to Gaul . There he founded the Abbey of Glanfeuil, the first Benedictine abbey in Anjou , which he governed for almost forty years. The Abbey of Saint-Maur, which was destroyed by Norman invasions around the middle of the ninth century and rebuilt in the same century under the reign of Louis the Stammerer , was built and fortified as a war zone, according to the custom of the time. During the reign of Charles V , the English , driven out of Maine by Bertrand Du Guesclin , had withdrawn from Pontvallain to the Abbey of Saint-Maur. Until the 1980s, the abbey was owned by the Assumptionists ; it was a reception centre. They sold it to the Apprentis d'Auteuil, who, because they had no right to build workshops, sold it in turn to the Maine-et-Loire departmental council. The building was classified as a historical monument in 1958, classified in 1979 and registered in 1996. Today, the Abbey of Saint-Maur is managed by the OVAL association. It has converted this place into an activity centre where discovery lessons are given during school terms, but also camps during the holidays. Source Wikipedia

The Fête du Thoureil, a festival of Loire barges, is an Angevin tradition that takes place every year in spring on the banks of the Loire at Thoureil, in Maine-et-Loire, between Saumur and Angers. The programme includes barges and old Loire sailing ships, and Loire festivities. It is considered the first festival of Loire barges between Nantes and Tours.

We can finally see the Loire! A very pretty passage through the village.

Very beautiful view of the Loire

This 350 million year old monolith has only been a separate monolith from the rest of the cliff since around 1850.