The best walks and hikes around Clisson

One of the most beautiful viewpoints in Clisson. The castle, the church, the dike, and the bridge all at once.

This temple, built on the Saint-Gilles hillside, has been listed as a Historic Monument since March 14, 1988. It owes its name to the friendship between the Cacault brothers and the sculptor François-Frédéric Lemot, initiators and creators of Clisson's Italianate architecture in the early 19th century. Pierre Cacault wanted to build a mausoleum in memory of his brother François, who died in Clisson on October 10, 1805, but he lacked sufficient financial means. ➢ It was François-Frédéric Lemot who helped his friend carry out his project. He purchased the former Saint-Gilles-et-Saint-Brice chapel and its outbuildings at the end of 1808. The buildings are part of the cemetery, which has long been used for the burial of parishioners from all over Clisson, except for La Trinité. ➢ Paul de Berthou states in his work "Clisson and its Monuments" that "...the church of St. Gilles and St. Brice had been large and beautiful, but a lord of Clisson had its proportions reduced because it overlooked the castle too closely and posed a danger to him in the event of a siege." ➢ The remodeled church includes two chapels forming arms of the cross, one dedicated to the Blessed Virgin and the other to St. John the Evangelist, whose brotherhood once sat on this site. A small bell tower, containing two bells, stands at the crossing of the transept. ➢ Pierre Cacault died on January 29, 1810. François-Frédéric Lemot took over the project and decided that the monument would be dedicated to the memory of the two brothers. In 1811, he acquired land on the Saint-Gilles hillside and commissioned the architect Mathurin Crucy to draw up the plans. ➢ The first project was inspired by Greek temples. Mr. Crucy proposed a plan representing a peripteral temple of the Doric order, without a base, with six columns on the façade, surmounted by a pediment. F.F. Lemot simplified the plan, retaining a "cella" and four Doric columns surmounted by a triangular pediment on the façade. This choice recalls the Temple of the Sybil in Tivoli and is found in other contemporary monuments (the Temple of Friendship in Belz, the memorial monument to the victims of Quiberon in Auray). ➢ The Temple of Friendship was built between 1812 and 1824 on the former foundations of the parish church of Saint Gilles. The side chapels were razed, their foundations later serving to build a small, asymmetrical transept. The old nave was demolished and the walls rebuilt in line with those of the choir, with the entrance door on the side of the current cemetery. ➢ It took several years before the roof was laid and the plastering completed (1824). ➢ This temple was to house the tombs of the Cacaults. Antoine Peccot (1766-1814), a friend of Mr. Crucy, the Cacaults, and F.F. Lemot, had proposed, before 1814, that a dedication be inscribed to the Cacault brothers. The poem invited passersby to remember the talents, virtues, and prodigal benefits of these two brothers. The inscription was never engraved. The tombs were never built because the heirs of the Cacault brothers did not authorize the transfer of the ashes of Pierre and François (buried in Nantes). .➢ On May 6, 1827, François-Frédéric Lemot died in Paris. His body, repatriated to Clisson on May 18, was buried in the Temple of Friendship. ➢ On September 17, 1829, this tomb was blessed by the vicar of Notre-Dame. From then on, the site was designated: "Lemot Chapel" or "Chapel of the Blessed Virgin." Permission was granted to sing the station mass there on St. Mark's Day, as well as on Rogation Day, and to say devotional low masses. ➢ The monument underwent restoration in 1995.

Clisson Castle has quite a story to tell: first an impregnable fortress overlooking the Sèvre, then a ducal residence, and finally a romantic ruin. In the 12th century, the powerful lordship of Clisson built this stone castle with highly elaborate defensive architectural systems: arrow slits, gun ports, and slits. A strategic point protecting the border of the Duchy of Brittany in the 15th century, it was abandoned by its owners from the second half of the 17th century onward before being burned down by Republican troops in 1793. But, beyond its grand history, this castle also has a more historic significance! In 1807, François-Frédéric Lemot, creator of the Garenne Lemot estate (a picturesque landscape located on the other side of the river), was captivated by these ruins and purchased it to turn it into an ornamental factory. The château was declared a historic monument in 1924, before being acquired by the Loire-Atlantique department in 1962. Today, visitors can visit it, take a guided tour, or simply experience its history. A stop on the Journey through the Vineyard, it's a stopover during the wine tourism tour of Nantes' wine country, featuring natural sites, heritage features, characterful villages, and unique cellars.

The last remaining witness to the region's papermaking industry, the association "Pour les arts graphiques en Vallée de Clisson" (For Graphic Arts in the Clisson Valley) has been working with local authorities since 1998 to revive the 19th-century papermaking industry at Le Liveau in Gorges. The Moulin du Liveau is a superb example of the region's Italianate architecture. With the active support of local authorities, the mill, owned by the municipality of Gorges, was restored to its original purpose as a paper mill. This magnificent site on the Sèvre Nantaise River in the Clisson Valley opened to the public in spring 2015. MORE THAN A MUSEUM, IT'S A LIVING WORKSHOP The association "Pour les arts graphiques en Vallée de Clisson" offers activities centered around the history and manufacture of paper. Children and adults alike can discover the mechanisms of the paper mill, handcraft their own sheets of paper, and learn about printing. An informative journey through history, accompanied by the ever-present pleasure of playfully recreating the gestures of the past. Inside, a hammer mill powered by a paddle wheel driven by the Sèvre River evokes the preparation of paper pulp from rags. Visitors can also practice calligraphy, participate in writing workshops, take bookbinding courses, and enjoy many other activities.

The Liveau Paper Mill in Gorges in the Clisson Valley (Loire Atlantique, 44) offers guided tours, educational outings, group visits to the paper mill, papermaking workshops, events, and exhibitions. The mill welcomes you south of Nantes and also offers a shop with a wide selection of paper, stationery, and books. The Liveau Paper Mill is located in Loire-Atlantique, in Gorges on the banks of the Sèvre Nantaise. Two flour mills, one on the right bank, the other on the left bank, made up the Liveau hydraulic site, first mentioned in 1407. Until 1561, it was owned by the lords of Clisson. • 1826, transformation of the right bank mill into a paper mill, a more prosperous activity at that time, and construction of the drying rack (drying rack), marked in its architecture by the strong Italian influence prevalent at that time in the canton of Clisson. • 1827: Papermaking begins at the mill. It produces "large gray paper" or "envelope paper" (wrapping paper) sold to the sugar refineries of Nantes. • 1850: Papermaking ends. • 1851 to 1952: Milling resumes. • 2001: The municipality of Gorges acquires the abandoned mill. • 2004: The "Pour les arts graphiques en vallée de Clisson" association wins first prize from the Fondation du Patrimoine for its project to rehabilitate and promote the Moulin du Liveau, with the support of Gorges elected officials and the Clisson Valley community of municipalities. • 2006: The Fondation du Patrimoine approves the project and brings in financial partners. • 2008-2009: Airtight and watertight construction of the buildings (mill and dryer), half of which was financed by the Total Foundation. Additional funding was provided by the Fondation du Patrimoine, the Crédit Agricole Foundation, parliamentary funds, the Pays de Loire Regional Council, the Loire-Atlantique General Council, the Clisson Valley Community of Communes, the municipality of Gorges, and various private funds. . 2014: Rehabilitation work in preparation for an artisanal papermaking activity, for cultural and tourist purposes. • April 2015: The Liveau paper mill in Gorges welcomes its first visitors.

The Pierre de l'Écuelle, also known as the Rochers de Mélusine, is a rather astonishing geological pile. Legend has it that the Devil's plate and knife are engraved there. Another equally credible explanation would have it that the fairy Mélusine accidentally dropped the famous stone from her apron. From the path you have to cross a fenced meadow to get there.

Using the power of moving water to drive a mill wheel is an ancient invention that dates back to pre-Christian times. Thanks to such a construction, human or animal muscle power could be easily replaced by a watercourse - natural or artificially created - in order to grind grain into corn, for example. There are essentially two different ways of driving watermills: either the water simply hits the blades of the water wheel from below to set it in motion; or the water is guided above the wheel and falls onto the blades; this type of construction is more efficient due to natural gravity.

The Heron Garden, a fresco by Alain Thomas, to be seen under the Clisson viaduct.