In Piseux, an agricultural landscape meets a rich local history. The Plateau de Saint-André provides a geographical point of reference; the plain of Charnelles recalls an event from the Hundred Years’ War. Churches, manor houses and memorials tell stories of other centuries. These different themes help place Piseux in context beyond a single historical date.
Landscape and orientation
Piseux extends across the Plateau de Saint-André between Damville and Verneuil. Large areas of farmland define the landscape, with numerous clusters of trees breaking up the open fields. This gives a clear impression of the commune’s rural character, without reducing the plateau to a single attraction.
Verneuil-sur-Avre provides a specific point of reference for the journey: from there, Piseux is about four kilometres away via the RD 51 towards Damville. This is an approximate distance. Those tracing the places in Piseux’s history will encounter Verneuil in another context too: several families mentioned in the town’s history came from there.
Charnelles and the memory of the battle
On 17 August 1424, the plain of Charnelles was the site of the Battle of Verneuil during the Hundred Years’ War. A plaque at Château de Charnelles commemorates the battle. The Mariette de Charnelles in Piseux also keeps alive the memory of the lost Battle of Verneuil-sur-Avre during the Hundred Years’ War. The plain, plaque and Mariette are therefore different points of reference for the same historical event.
Château de Charnelles was built in the 19th century on the site of the former village of Charnelles. Its chapel is the former parish church of Charnelles; the former church is now located in the estate’s park. The château also includes an extended former presbytery. The history of the place can therefore be traced not only through the battle, but also through the transformation of the village and its religious buildings.
The church of Piseux also has a long history: at the beginning of the 13th century, it was transferred to the Abbey of Jumièges. This dates to an earlier period than the construction of Château de Charnelles and reveals the commune’s different historical layers.
Manor houses, families and literature
La Grande Maison de Longuelune was the seat of a fief that extended across Longuelune, Grosbois and Piseux. The surviving manor house is a Renaissance building made of brick and roof tiles. It is said to have been built around 1550 to 1555 by Robert de Varennes; this attribution is reported as probable, not as confirmed authorship.
The manor house of Grosbois belonged to the Aubéry du Boulley family of Verneuil in the 18th and 19th centuries. The musician Louis Prudent Aubéry du Boulley lived there for a time. Another family history links Piseux with the Maison de Frileuse: it belonged to the Bissieu family of Verneuil for a long time. The writer Louise Colet also often stayed in Piseux; her daughter owned a country house there. These details connect the buildings’ history with the people associated with them, without tying the houses to a single period or family.
Music and events tied to a specific date
The Étoiles Symphoniques festival brings together more than 200 artists aged 6 to 24 every year. Its 2026 programme listed a concert at Église Saint-Denis in Piseux at 7 pm on 10 August.
To understand the place thematically, you can consider its landscape, architectural history and culture of remembrance separately: the plateau describes the rural setting, Charnelles recalls the battle and the transformation of a village, while the manor houses reveal further historical and family connections. This can help you decide which of these aspects is of particular interest during your stay in Piseux.
Discover more destinations: Saint-Aquilin-de-Pacy, Sainte-Colombe-La-Commanderie, Le Fidelaire, Bazincourt-Sur-Epte, Bus-Saint-RĂ©my, Bourth, Saint-Pierre-Du-Val, Cahaignes.
For the broader travel overview: Eure.
