400,000 years of history

The Country of Art and History, Coëvrons – Mayenne

Discover one of the richest natural and cultural heritages in France.

Here, 400,000 years of history stretch out and invite you back to prehistory and the end of the Middle Ages, all compressed in to a thousand square kilometres.

Proof of the richness of the local heritage, the national award “Country of Art and History” (Pays d’Art et d’Histoire) was received by the Coëvrons-Mayenne territory in 2005. Awarded by the Ministry of Culture and Communication to local communities working in favour of the architectural and heritage quality of their territory, it also helps develop awareness of local environmental, cultural and economic actions with the general public.

©Pion de jeu - Château-musée de Mayenne|Sarah Veysseyre

Visite au château-musée - Ville de Mayenne

Grottes de Saulges - Thorigné-en-Charnie

From prehistory to the Middle Ages

The vagaries of history have left the Coëvrons-Mayenne area with six of the most important heritage sites in the region:

Saulges and its caves
The Gallo-Roman town of Jublains
Mayenne and its Carolingian château
Évron and its basilica
The medieval town of Sainte-Suzanne
Lassay-les-Chateaux

Travel back in time while passing through Saulges, Jublains, Mayenne, Évron, Lassay-les-Châteaux and Sainte-Suzanne, but remember that the richness of the Coëvrons-Mayenne region reaches far beyond these exceptional places.

Stately homes, chapels and churches, village wash-houses, wayside crosses, mills, streams, and landscapes constitute a rich and varied heritage.

The CIAP

The creation of the Architecture and Heritage Centre (Centre d’interprétation de l’architecture et du patrimoine – CIAP) in the château de Sainte-Suzanne is the result of a collaboration to present the heritage of the département between the General Council of Mayenne, which owns the château, and the Coëvrons-Mayenne Pays d’Art et Histoire committee.

A place for information, meetings and education, the CIAP also puts on temporary exhibitions. Learn about the local heritage in its most diverse forms – archaeology, monuments, wildlife, the landscape, local arts and crafts and much more besides.

Pays d'Art et Histoire

Country of art and history

Pays d’Art et Histoire offers a program of discovery tours from spring to autumn, as well as activities for young people during school time and holidays.

These visits and activities are led by professional guides. The Pays d’Art et Histoire team is also available to advise groups and to organise visits and tours focused on the discovery of local heritage. Several tours and activities are accessible to disabled visitors.

Most importantly, the PAH publicises local heritage through books: the “Laisser vous conter” collection is for interested adults, while the “Raconte-moi” collection is for younger audiences.

Principle sites of the PAH

in Coëvrons-Mayenne

Jublains

Stopping off in a new city? Funny idea! But if I tell you that Noviodunum (literally new town), a city created more than two thousand years ago,...

Contact the Pays d'Art et d'Histoire
Documents

PAYS D'ART ET D'HISTOIRE COËVRONS-MAYENNESainte-Suzanne

The production of documents for the discovery and promotion of local heritage is one of the main missions of the Pays d’Art et Histoire.

The team designs and produces various types of documents: leaflets, brochures, posters, newsletter, communication postcards, program leaflets, bookmarks, etc.

Download these documents free

Other

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