Discover Autheuil

For a trip to Autheuil, you can choose from several different highlights: the Romanesque Église Notre-Dame d’Autheuil, the Les hauts d’Autheuil circular trail, and historic estates in the village and nearby. There is also a week-long cultural festival. You can include architecture, a walk or mountain-bike ride, and other cultural and nature-related interests in your travel plans.

Romanesque Architecture in Autheuil

Built in the 12th century, the Église Notre-Dame d’Autheuil is considered the oldest and best-preserved Romanesque church in the Perche. Its floor plan is shaped like a Latin cross and includes an apse, transept, and subsidiary apse. The transept is the cross-arm of the church’s floor plan; the apse and subsidiary apse complete its articulated layout. A Renaissance door to the sacristy is another architectural detail. The building thus combines an overall Romanesque floor plan with a Renaissance feature.

The Église Notre-Dame d’Autheuil is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., from April 15 to October 15. Check these visiting hours before you arrive.

Circular Trail, History, and Nature

Les hauts d’Autheuil is an easy 8 km circular trail. It takes about two hours and includes 120 metres of ascent. The distance, approximate duration, and elevation gain give you an initial guide for planning your time. The trail is certified by the French hiking federation and can also be ridden by mountain bike.

The route follows in the footsteps of Robert Giffard. He was born in Autheuil and recruited colonists in the area around Tourouvre for New France. The trail therefore links its own route description with a historical connection to Autheuil and the area around Tourouvre.

Near Autheuil, the circular trail also introduces the protected Tourbière de Commeauche. It lies in a clearing in the Réno-Valdieu forest. A distinctive flora, characteristic of this type of habitat, grows in four metres of peat. Visits are possible only with a guide.

Historic Estates and Cultural Highlights

The Manoir de Bellegarde, near Autheuil, is a historic monument. From May to September, self-guided visits and guided tours are available by prior reservation. Check the current visiting hours before you arrive.

Autheuil is also home to the privately owned Demeure de La Forge. It was first a wire-drawing works and later a fish farm. This sequence of former uses adds another aspect of local history to the church’s religious and architectural history, without suggesting that the private Demeure is necessarily open to visitors.

Autheuil’s P’tit Festival runs for a week. It features concerts, festive events, conferences, and other ways to discover Autheuil’s cultural richness. Alongside the architectural and historical themes, events and cultural activities are another highlight.

Discover more destinations: Macé, Le Pas-Saint-L'homer, Athis-De-L'orne, Lignou, Réveillon, Gandelain, Briouze, Bazoches-Sur-Hoëne.

See the regional travel overview: Orne.