Le Mesnil-Benoist: Routes and Church Art

Le Mesnil-Benoist can be explored during a stay through two themes: routes in the Bocage virois and the protected furnishings of the Église Notre-Dame. The village is one of the typical small villages in this landscape featured on the “Au pays des Mesnils” cycle route and regarded as a witness to history. This gives you both a connection to routes and a specific cultural point of interest to consider when planning your trip.

Routes around Le Mesnil-Benoist

The “Au pays des Mesnils” loop starts in St-Sever-Calvados. Le Mesnil-Benoist is one of the villages featured on this cycle route. The village is also included in two other named loops: “Circuit 2 – En lisière de forêt” and “Circuit 4 – Vers le lac de la Dathée”. This means Le Mesnil-Benoist features in a range of route contexts, not just a single loop.

The names of the two other routes highlight different themes: “En lisière de forêt” refers to the edge of the forest, while “Vers le lac de la Dathée” points to the lake. If you choose routes by their named theme, you can distinguish which of these connections interests you more. The starting point for “Au pays des Mesnils,” by contrast, is in St-Sever-Calvados; Le Mesnil-Benoist is part of the loop’s context.

The Bocage virois is the regional setting for the village. The “Au pays des Mesnils” cycle route connects Le Mesnil-Benoist with typical small villages regarded as witnesses to history. This offers a different perspective from the two explicitly named themes of the forest edge and the lake: here, the character of small villages in the Bocage is the focus.

Protected furnishings of the Église Notre-Dame

The Église Notre-Dame in Le Mesnil-Benoist houses a protected vestment cupboard. The protected group of furnishings also includes the high altar, tabernacle, exposition, altarpiece, and the painting “Donation du rosaire”. There are also four statues: “Anges adorateurs”, “Vierge à l’Enfant”, “Saint Benoît”, and one other statue. The paneling, choir stalls, and imitation choir stalls are also part of the group.

A vestment cupboard is used to store liturgical textiles. The term “altarpiece” refers to an altar decoration; a tabernacle is a liturgical object. Paneling is wall covering, while choir stalls are seating in the choir area. These terms help distinguish the different kinds of furnishings in the group: it includes both individual objects and parts of the interior decor.

A historical connection of the altarpiece

The 18th-century altarpiece “Les Quinze Mystères du Rosaire” is in the Église Notre-Dame. It formerly belonged to the Rosary confraternity. The title refers to the fifteen mysteries of the rosary; its former ownership adds a historical context to its dating. This connection is explicitly historical: the altarpiece once belonged to the confraternity.

Le Mesnil-Benoist offers both a connection to small villages and cycle routes and a specific example of church heritage. You can therefore choose the focus of your trip according to the themes that appeal to you most.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Le Theil-en-Auge, Périers-sur-le-Dan, Noyers-Bocage, Mandeville-En-Bessin, Roullours, Nonant, Cauvicourt, Ryes.

For the overview of the wider region: Calvados.