Discover Clayes

Clayes brings together traces of several centuries with a walking route along the Rabine. For your stay, you can choose between two distinct highlights: the town’s architectural history and an approximately one-hour outdoor loop.

Castle history and access

The present-day Château de Clayes-Palys was built between 1750 and 1765 on the site of an earlier manor house. It is listed as a historic monument; its park and surroundings are also a classified site. The vestibule of the Château de Clayes-Palys houses Falconet’s sculpture “L’Amour vainqueur”, commissioned by Louis XV for Madame de Pompadour.

Check the visiting conditions again before your trip. The sculpture in the vestibule is part of the château’s history; the access information given distinguishes viewing it from outside from visiting the interior.

Saint-Pierre and its architectural history

The parish church of Saint-Pierre is mentioned as early as 1122 in the cartulary of Saint-Melaine Abbey in Rennes. The present church has a Latin-cross floor plan. In 1888, it was extended under Arthur Regnault; two chapels were added, forming a transept. A transept is the side arm of a church with a cross-shaped floor plan; here, it is formed by the two chapels.

Chapel and cemetery cross

The chapel on Place de l’Eglise dates from the last quarter of the 19th century and is attributed to Arthur Regnault. A door from the second half of the 15th century was reused in its façade. The architectural histories therefore differ in the details described: at Saint-Pierre, the cross-shaped floor plan and transept define its appearance; at the chapel, its attribution and older door are distinctive.

A cross stands on three steps in the cemetery; its square base transitions into an octagonal shape. The western arm depicts the Virgin and Child with two other figures. The shape of the base and the figures on the cross are two specific architectural details that distinguish it from the descriptions of the churches and chapel.

Townscape and walk along the Rabine

Clayes’s traditional settlement pattern is characterised mainly by scattered, detached homes throughout the municipality. The town’s history can therefore be viewed at two scales: as a widely dispersed settlement pattern and through individual buildings and their architectural details.

The Rabine is a broad, oak-lined avenue that led to the Château de Clayes. The “Balade à Clayes par la Rabine” is a very easy 4.2-kilometre circular route that takes about an hour. It is marked in yellow and suitable for pushchairs. The route offers views of the Manoir de La Rivière and the Château de Clayes; the manor is considered an outbuilding of the château. Alongside the architectural histories, the walk offers its own outdoor highlight with a defined duration.

Getting there

Clayes is accessible by public transport via route 81. Check the latest timetable before travelling.

Discover more destinations: Dourdan, Luitré, Bruz, Goven, La Chapelle-Aux-Filtzméens, Roz-Sur-Couesnon, Le Rheu, Poilley.

Back to the overview of destinations: Ille-Et-Vilaine.