Discover Bazoges-En-Pareds

When you choose Bazoges-en-Pareds as a destination, different themes come together: medieval architectural history, a garden with a clear layout, a museum dedicated to rural life, and a cycling route through forests and villages. The Ciste des Cous adds a funerary monument with a much older history. This mix makes it possible to plan your stay around your own interests instead of reducing the place to a single attraction.

The keep and its architectural history

The Donjon de Bazoges-en-Pareds was built in 1380 by the knight and lord Jehan Girard. Today, the building has been restored and arranged over five levels. The year places the keep in its historical context; the five furnished levels describe its present-day layout. Here, you can encounter both a specific date of construction and a restored building.

The castle's history includes an earlier building phase: the castle of Bazoges-en-Pareds was built in the 14th century on the foundations of an older castle. Its enclosure once also included the parish church. The church itself has building phases dating from the 12th and 15th centuries, corresponding to the adjacent naves. This makes it possible to distinguish the history of the castle complex from the architectural history of the church, even though the two are connected in the historical story of the town.

Garden near the keep

The Jardin d'Inspiration Médiévale de Bazoges-en-Pareds is located near the keep and covers more than 3,000 square metres. Sixteen beds divide the grounds, with a sundial at their centre. Its size, regular layout and central focal point give the garden a character of its own alongside the historic building. If you are interested in garden design, it offers a different perspective from the history of the castle and church.

Rural life and regional products

The Musée des arts et traditions populaires is a museum and interpretation centre focused on agriculture and rural life. It presents everyday life and work on a farm, in its dairy and in a forge. The focus is therefore not only on historic buildings, but also on working life and activities associated with rural life.

The Ferme-Brasserie La Muette in Bazoges-en-Pareds offers another connection to agriculture, with direct sales and tastings. The tasting offer may vary. If you are interested in a tasting, check the current availability of this offer before your visit.

Cycling route and landscape

The Circuit vélo Boucle de Pareds et de Loing is more than 27 kilometres long. It passes through forests and villages, offers views of the bocage and follows the River Loing. The route thus brings together several different landscapes in a designated cycling tour. Its length is a practical planning consideration if you want to make cycling a focus of your trip. The keep also carries the Accueil Vélo label; this cycling label and the route described here are two separate planning considerations.

The Ciste des Cous and a different sense of time

The Ciste des Cous is a funerary monument with a history spanning more than 6,000 years. It is located on a limestone plateau at the confluence of the Loing and Arkanson rivers, not far from the centre of Bazoges-en-Pareds. Its history reaches far beyond the medieval building phases of the castle and church. Its setting also differs from that of the keep: here, the plateau and the confluence of the rivers shape the place described.

For planning your trip, there are several themes to choose from: architectural history at the keep and church, the garden, rural work at the museum, the cycling route through varied landscapes, or the far-reaching history of the Ciste des Cous. These themes give you a concrete basis for considering Bazoges-en-Pareds as a destination for a hotel stay, according to your interests.

Discover more destinations: Sainte-Gemme-La-Plaine, Sainte-Florence, Saint-Germain-l'Aiguiller, La Chapelle-Palluau, Maché, Le Perrier, Chasnais, Saint-Benoist-Sur-Mer

For the overview of the wider region: Vendée.