Foussais-Payré historical heritage itinerary FOUSSAIS PUY-DE-SERRE FAYMOREAU LA CHÂTAIGNERAIE Lime kilns PAYRÉ-SUR-VENDÉE Starting point: car park opposite 10 the priory (Town Hall). FONTENAY- LE-COMTE The Priory which was built Rue des th Fo urs from the XI C., was part of the à c Abbey of Bourgueil in Touraine. haux th R Rebuilt in the XV C., it was u The Grand ne e th Logis fortified in the XVI C., then Historical heritage itinerary enlarged and embellished in the 9 th Starting point CatheriR XVII C. In the inside, two very ue 3 d d Historical heritage marker e e beautiful fireplaces are decorated l’E Sainte ta ng i with the arms of the prior and Information Point Cour de Payré- Liber té Rue sur-Vendée some mysterious monograms. Car park la The Priory, whose perfect P Rue Vert la Romanesque vaulted arch is to de Ste-Catherine 11 8 be admired, has housed the inn VOUVANT V War e 12 Town Hall since 1982. n Tree of Memorial d é é Rue Liberty Via rue François Laurent, you Espace Paul r e Rue Mélusine u e de Vendée i r arrive at the former Town Hall Rue du Chêne d P Place de la e l N 6 Boule d’Or and former Post Office . The Priory a F 4 u d (Town Hall) o These illustrate the 5 ntaine Village centre Church e re P administrative architecture of the è u i 6 R in Market Hall th t 1 first half of the XX C. Unlike the n 1 e V 7 numerous houses with slate P ST-HILAIRE- la DES-LOGES roofs, this building is roofed P P François R ue e with tiles. Turn up rue Pousse- d War Laurent Fra Memorial House nç Penille and, at the war memorial, o i s e Protestant u L go left onto rue François Viète. R a Temple is Viète u nço r The Protestant Temple is e Fra R Former n ue t adorned with a Greek-style Rue d Town 55 6 6 e 3 la Hall 2 pediment. It bears the Pou sse P inscription “culte évangélique” Peni lle 1 3 1882. By way of rue de la d’Angély, then at La Rochelle the church Saint-Hilaire . FONTENAY- LE-COMTE Ventinière and rue Mélusine, where he died. He left an To the left, the northern arch you arrive at the Espace Paul interesting diary. In the village depicts a “Descent from the which demonstrates the de Vendée which honours centre , place de la Boule Cross”, which is signed - a tensions born between the the memory of a Protestant d’Or, the XVIth C. Market Hall very rare event - by its creator, evangelical reformers, faithful to nobleman, born in 1577. was the scene of fairs and Giraud Audebert from Saint- the Calvinist tradition, and the He took part in the Protestant markets established by Jean-d’Angély. To the right, the liberal reformers, following the FOUSSAIS resistance after the death of Henri IV in January 1599. southern arch, divided into 1802 Concordat. It housed a Henri IV and fought during Facing this opens up the two parts, illustrates the Protestant school from 1855 until PAYRÉ-SUR-VENDÉE the siege of Saint-Jean- famous Romanesque portal of appearance of Christ itinerary (cont.) Foussais-Payré historical background HISTORICAL resurrected to Mary-Magdelaine and a scene Deriving from a Gallo-Roman villa whose HERITAGE known under the name of “The Meal with Simon owner was called Fuscius or Fusciacus, ITINERARY the Pharisee”. To the south, the Renaissance Foussais posses a jewel of Romanesque art: The “Petites Cités de Caractère” distinction house of the merchant François Laurent is a the great portal of its Saint-Hilaire church. is awarded to the little towns and villages in our region remarkable logis and a rare example of urban During the Renaissance, the work of the cloth that have a remarkable architectural and natural architecture in a rural setting, formerly endowed merchants, weavers and tanners endowed it heritage, and meet the essential criteria when it comes with a loggia and dating from with some remarkable fine houses, scattered to welcoming their visitors. As a guarantee for quality, 7 1552. The facade has retained in the two towns and in the surrounding this label urges the communes belonging to the a mullioned window, a group countryside, like those of La Touche, La network to keep on improving the emphasis placed on of three arcaded bay windows Riallière, La Fournière or Sérigny… Often their attractions through restoration, promotion and and a door with pediment. benefitting from ideas of the Reformation, the activities. The Petites Cités de Caractère of the Pays de The Sainte-Catherine inn , craftsmen and merchants, who exported their la Loire present a whole range of historical authenticity and are a reflection of the geographical territory to Foussais-Payré in the street of the same products to Germany and Holland, rubbed name, was owned by the shoulders with the humanistic élite of which they belong. family of the famous Fontenay-le-Comte. Petite Cité de Caractère de la Vendée mathematician François Viète The family of François Viète, the famous (1540 - 1603), the father of mathematician, owned an inn there. Henri IV modern algebra. He may have endowed this prosperous village, where Petites Cités de Caractère been born either in this Protestantism developped, with six yearly fairs des Pays de la Loire auberge or in the village of La and a weekly market. Foussais merged in 1968 Bigotière where he had his with Payré-sur-Vendée, known for its lime kilns Les Petites Cités de Caractère de la Vendée residence. At the top of the which worked from 1860 - 1914. Foussais-Payré rue Sainte Catherine, the is a member of the Community of Communes 9 Grand Logis was built, at of the region of Fontenay-le-Comte. th M A IN the end of the XVI C., by a E-ET-LO significant person, Mathurin Bouhéreau, who had N TIQUE L I a Cholet RE LOIRE-ATLA Sè acquired the responsible post of “Elu du Roi”. You vre N ant can admire the very beautiful round dovecote, the aise Ilee dde external stairway and its stables. The return route, Nooirmououtier MalliM èvre by rue Sainte Catherine, passes by the priory ers gardens and its porch and rejoins the car park, DEU passing, on the left, the little dogs’ courtyard. OC X-S Information /visits S -Y È VRES Payré-sur-Vendée Ile dd'YeuYeu Mairie (Town Hall) a Two kilometres from the town of Foussais, Payré- mororeau sur-Vendée is noted first of all, in the first road on Tél. 02 51 51 41 23 s [email protected] d'Olonne ré the left, by its lime kilns , built around 1860. Nieeul-sur -l'AAutise They worked until about 1914. On the right, going Foussais-Payré Information Point y back down the limestone hill, the road passes in Tél. 02 51 51 41 05 front of the Cour de Payré-sur-Vendée , a fine Fontenay-le-Comte Tourist Office Niort house which belonged to the Tél. 02 51 69 44 99 ME Foussais-Payré has retained from its rich past the Brunet de la Riallière family. www.tourisme-sudvendee.com mairie de Foussais-Payré. de la Vendée, Photos : Petites Cités de Caractère 10 Before dropping down extraordinary Romanesque portal of its church towards a pleasant fountain, Festival “Nuits Musicales and the fine houses of the drapers, weavers and the road passes by the Tree of en Vendée Romane” Liberty , an enormous Tél. 02 51 51 48 92 Association des Petites Cités cloth merchants who made the village a prosperous www.festival-vendee.com de Caractère de la Vendée plane tree of 5.50 m in one during the Renaissance. It was perhaps also the circumference, planted just Mairie de Foussais-Payré Be careful, respectful of private property 85240 Foussais-Payré 06 72 66 49 71 ~ décembre 2009. after the Revolution. and traffic regulations. Tél. 06 70 26 08 62 birth place of the inventor of modern Algebra… [email protected] teatime.