Baguer-Morvan brings together a named walking trail and a layered architectural history. For travellers choosing a destination based on specific things to discover, this creates a clear contrast: landscape and heritage along the Circuit du Clos Chapelle on one side, and the church, manor houses and historic remains on the other. The parish church of Saint-Pierre, Saint-Paul was first mentioned in 1219; other architectural evidence ranges from older manor houses to buildings from the 19th century.
Walking Trail and Wetlands
The Circuit du Clos Chapelle passes through the Marais Noir and includes the village of Carfantin and the Fontaine de Saint-Samson. This makes it possible to understand the trail through different points of interest: a wetland, a village and a spring with heritage connections. Those exploring the trail can see the landscape, village and heritage as different aspects of the same theme. Le Guyoult is designated as a wetland covering 18 hectares. This figure of area highlights something different from the description of the Marais Noir route: at Le Guyoult, the focus is on the size of the designated area; on the Circuit, it is on the route through the Marais Noir and its inclusion of named places.
Church: History and Floor Plan
The parish church of Saint-Pierre, Saint-Paul was first mentioned in 1219 and rebuilt by the architect Hawke in the third quarter of the 19th century. These two details mark different points in its history: its first mention and a later building phase. The floor plan is in the shape of a Latin cross. This describes the layout of the building: the longer section and the transept together form the shape of a cross. Chronology and spatial form thus offer two different ways to explore the church. Visitors interested in historic architecture can consider the floor plan alongside the building phases.
Manor Houses and Other Traces of the Past
Château d’Assis was built in the mid-19th century on the site of an earlier manor house dating from the 14th to the 16th century. The present-day château also preserves remains of a former chapel from the 15th century. Here, several periods are reflected in different architectural elements: the construction of the château, the former manor house on the site and the surviving chapel remains. The Malouinière Launay Blot was built in the 1730s on the remains of a 16th-century manor house. The comparison reveals a similarity and a difference: both histories involve earlier manor houses; at Château d’Assis, the earlier building is identified as a predecessor on the site, while Launay Blot was explicitly built on its remains. The village of Baguer-Morvan also preserves some remains from the 16th and 18th centuries. This extends the historical interest from individual buildings to a broader view of the remains in the village.
Discover more destinations: Bruz, Crevin, Dourdan, Saint-Germain-En-Coglès, La Couyère, Saint-Georges-De-Gréhaigne, Domagné, Feins
For the broader travel guide: Ille-Et-Vilaine.
