Saint-Céneri-le-Gérei - Petite Cité de Caractère

Situated on the borders of the Orne, Sarthe and Mayenne departments, Saint-Céneri-le-Gérei is perched on a rocky outcrop and boasts two villages on the banks of the Sarthe: one to the east, overlooked by the rocky outcrop, and the other to the west, terraced towards the Sarthon river.

It's hard to resist the charms of this "most beautiful village in France", which has also been designated a "small town of character" Painters quickly fell in love with Saint-Céneri-le-Gerei, and from the 19th century onwards, they would spend their summers in the little Barbizon villages of Normandy. Some of them, combining artistic creation with the art of living, left pictorial souvenirs of their stay on the walls of the then-famous Auberge des s?urs Moisy.

An artists? haven in the heart of the Alpes Mancelles.

The town?s history began with the arrival of St Céneri in the 7th century and the creation of an abbey. Although only a few vestiges remain of the castle built on the fortified rock in 1040 and destroyed during the Hundred Years' War in 1434, traces of its walls can be found in the narrow streets of the town center, particularly those leading to the town hall.

The present-day Romanesque church, built in the 11th century on the remains of the former "Saint Martin du Mont Rocheux" church, has been a listed historic monument since 1886, and contains some superb frescoes. The 15th-century chapel on the banks of the Sarthe opposite the fountain on the opposite bank was built on the site of the former hermitage of Saint-Céneri.

In the 19th century, on the initiative of Auguste Poulet-Malassis, Baudelaire?s publisher, the site became a residence for artists such as Eugène Boudin, Mary Renard and Paul Saïn. Later, the "School of St Céneri" would see the arrival of other artists such as Bernard Buffet. The passion for the site endures and continues to attract contemporary painters.

Not to be missed

- The church, listed as a historical monument since 1886

- Saint-Cénéri chapel, ISMH since 1926

- Auberge des s?urs Moisy ISMH since 2003

- L?auberge des peintres ISMH since 2002 and still in operation

- Les jardins de la Mansonière (private property open to the public, exhibitions)