Rosay-sur-Lieure: Forest, Mills and Architectural History

Rosay-sur-Lieure has two distinct landscape settings: one part of the village stretches close to the church along the banks of the Lieure, while another lies on a plateau 80 metres higher. This higher part is on the edge of the Forêt domaniale de Lyons. The village thus borders France’s largest beech forest and one of the largest beech forests in Europe. The riverbanks, plateau and forest describe different aspects of the village’s setting and provide a backdrop for its other landscape and historical features.

Landscape and walking route

The 11-kilometre Boucle de la Jacassière starts at the church in Touffreville and passes through Rosay-sur-Lieure. Its viewpoints look out over the valleys of the Lieure, the Fouillebroc and the Andelle. The route is therefore associated with two distinct details: it starts in Touffreville and passes through Rosay-sur-Lieure, while its viewpoints offer views of three named valleys. This is a useful complement to the village’s landscape of riverbanks, a higher plateau and adjacent forest.

Church and château

The bell tower and nave of the Église Notre-Dame de Rosay date from the 12th century and are Romanesque in style. After being partially destroyed during the Hundred Years’ War, the nave was restored and a new portal was added on the west side. The details distinguish the building history of the tower and nave from the later restoration of the nave: both architectural elements are Romanesque, while the restoration and new western portal concern the nave.

The Château de Rosay was built between 1611 and 1619 in the style of Louis XIII. It has been a listed monument since 31 January 1938. The construction period and listed status refer to different stages in its history: the dates place its construction, while the later date marks the start of its protected status. The château can therefore be considered both in terms of its architecture and its historical classification, without confusing the two dates.

Mills and surviving traces

According to the known records, the history of the Moulin de Rosay goes back to 1244, the year of its first known mention. The mill building described today was built in 1860 on the site of an earlier mill dating from 1821. The year 1244 therefore refers to the mill’s recorded mention, not to the construction date of the building erected in 1860. The Moulin de Rosay is no longer in operation, but its overshot waterwheel remains.

The original masonry of the west gable and the trace of its waterwheel survive from the former Moulin de la Bretèque in Rosay-sur-Lieure. The surviving traces thus differ from those at the Moulin de Rosay, where the waterwheel itself remains: at La Bretèque, it is the masonry and the wheel’s trace that point to the former mill. Together, these two mills offer different ways to distinguish the historic use of water from the surviving architectural evidence.

Calvaire du Vaumichon

Another distinct structure is the Calvaire du Vaumichon. It consists of an eight-metre-high rusticated stele bearing a 1.8-metre-high figure of Christ in natural terracotta, set on an oak cross. The calvary also includes a semicircular altar whose mensa is made from an old millstone. Its dimensions and materials give the structure a distinctive profile: the stele, figure of Christ and cross form the main elements, while the millstone serves as the altar’s mensa.

More destinations

Discover more destinations: Douville-sur-Andelle, Verneuil-Sur-Avre, Mouettes, Château-sur-Epte, Jumelles, Trouville-La-Haule, Saint-Martin-Saint-Firmin, Saint-Mards-De-Fresne.

Back to the main travel overview: Eure.