Saint-Maurice-Lès-Charencey: Church and routes

Saint-Maurice-lès-Charencey can be explored for trip planning through two specific themes: Saint-Maurice Church and routes that pass through the commune. At the church, Romanesque origins, a late-medieval alteration and further architectural details can all be seen side by side. The routes have different characteristics: the GR® 22 is a four-day crossing route, while Les fossés du Roy can be completed on foot or by mountain bike. This allows you to consider architectural history and route planning as distinct focuses of your stay.

Saint-Maurice Church

Saint-Maurice Church has Romanesque origins and was altered at the end of the Middle Ages. Its nave comprises four bays and ends in a semicircular apse. A bay is an architecturally defined section of the nave; the four bays structure the space up to its rounded end. In the choir, the church preserves three small round-arched openings made of composite Grison stone.

The side aisle flanks the church and opens onto the nave through a series of large pointed-arch arcades. This makes it possible to compare two types of arch in different parts of the church: the small round-arched openings in the choir and the large pointed-arch arcades along the side aisle. The beams also bear the coats of arms of Chartres, Alençon, Mortagne and Verneuil. The architecture and coats of arms offer different points of interest: on the one hand, the spatial layout and arch forms; on the other, the coats of arms visible on the beams.

The present-day bell tower was probably built in place of an older tower and belongs to the same building phase, which can be dated to 1821. The building history thus spans the Romanesque origins, the late-medieval alteration and the phase dated to 1821, when the present-day tower was built.

Routes through Saint-Maurice-lès-Charencey

The GR® 22 long-distance hiking trail passes through Saint-Maurice-lès-Charencey. It is a 109.4 km, four-day crossing route. The GR® 22 and its northern variant pass through a quiet landscape of changing forests, valleys and bocage. Bocage refers to a cultivated landscape divided by hedgerows, adding another specific landscape type alongside forests and valleys.

The Les fossés du Roy route also passes through the commune. It can be completed on foot or by mountain bike. Different criteria therefore come to the fore when choosing a route: for the GR® 22, these are the length and duration of the crossing; for Les fossés du Roy, the choice between two ways of getting around. The two routes thus offer different points of reference for your planning, without requiring you to judge them by the same criteria.

Public transport connection

Route 416 is a public transport connection between Saint-Maurice-lès-Charencey and L’Aigle. If you plan to use this connection for your journey, check the latest route and timetable information before travelling, as services and timetables may change.

Discover more destinations: Athis-De-L'orne, Moulins-La-Marche, Nocé, Bellou-En-Houlme, Saint-Bômer-Les-Forges, Valframbert, Champsecret, Aubry-le-Panthou

For the wider travel overview: Orne.