La Chevallerais: Church, Canal and Local Traditions
Accommodation in La Chevallerais
If you are looking for a hotel in La Chevallerais, you can choose where to stay based on your travel interests: the Notre-Dame de Bonne Nouvelle church has a well-documented building history, the Canal de Nantes Ă Brest offers paths for walking and cycling, and local traditions range from a historic walking tour to a distinctive baked speciality. This lets you consider architecture, outdoor activities and a possible festival date as different focal points for your stay.
Church and religious heritage
Notre-Dame de Bonne Nouvelle church was built in several stages: the first stone was laid in 1853, the church was blessed in 1856, and the original bell tower was completed in 1858. The building is 40 metres long and between 9 and 20 metres wide. Its style lies between Neo-Romanesque and Neo-Gothic. Each of the three dates marks a distinct point in the building process: the start of construction, the blessing of the church and the completion of the original tower.
The Notre-Dame de Bonne Nouvelle oratory is also part of the religious heritage. It was built in 1889 to protect the spring described as miraculous. People have been praying there for a long time, and thanksgiving inscriptions can be found on ex-voto plaques. The church and oratory thus have different points of emphasis: the church is notable for its construction period and architecture, while the oratory is associated with the spring and the prayer tradition connected with it.
Walking along the Canal de Nantes Ă Brest
There are routes of different lengths to choose from for a walk. The official canal circuit covers a total of 12 kilometres in its longer version; the average walking time is 3.5 hours. “Histoires en balade” is a 4.5-kilometre family walk with 13 stops and 13 historical anecdotes. The distances make it easy to compare the route lengths, while the two walks have different focuses: one follows the canal circuit, and the other explores local history through a series of stops. As details of the official circuit may change, it is advisable to check the latest municipal route description before setting out.
The stops on “Histoires en balade” cover a wide range of chapters in La Chevallerais’s history: threshing, women’s football champions, the theatre tradition, the Resistance, the history of the schools and the 50 shops of the 1950s. The walk therefore moves from everyday and club history to memories of commerce and education. If you are interested in several topics, you can see the circuit as a route through different aspects of local history rather than focusing on just one era.
Towpath, festival and local speciality
La Chevallerais borders the Canal de Nantes Ă Brest. The towpath is used locally for walking and cycling. The Circuit du Canal follows the towpath and is considered a peaceful walking route. The distinction is useful for planning: the towpath is associated with both walking and cycling, while the named circuit is described as a walking route.
One recurring event in the annual calendar is the FĂŞte des Battages et des MĂ©tiers anciens. It takes place every year on the last Sunday in July and features folk groups and a rural market. If you would like to plan your trip around the festival, check the specific dates and current programme for your travel period.
The fouace chevalleraisienne is part of the local food culture. Its recipe has been passed down through generations of bakers in La Chevallerais. Visitors can discover the fouace around Easter or on the Sunday of the festival at the bakery. If you would like to include it in your trip, check availability in advance.
Getting there
Bus route 311 Blain–Nantes serves the town centre behind the church. You can use the route as a reference when planning your journey and check the latest departure times.
Discover more destinations: Erbray, Brains, La Meilleraye-De-Bretagne, Cordemais, Grand-Auverné, Maisdon-Sur-Sèvre, Bouvron, Crossac.
For the broader travel overview: Loire-Atlantique.
