Get to know Piacé through its clear focus on art and architecture: the Piacé le radieux art trail features 60 works—including micro-architectures, sculptures and installations—and is open year-round. Individual works may change. Piacé le radieux is also an art centre for contemporary art, architecture and design. The micro-architectures complement the sculptures and installations with works on a small architectural scale. Artistic works therefore form a distinctive focus, while the chapel, church, former mill and landscape offer further perspectives on Piacé. When planning your itinerary, you can first decide whether to give particular weight to art and design, historic buildings or landscape.

Art and architecture in Piacé

Piacé le radieux is connected with a utopian project by Le Corbusier and Norbert Bézard. This connection lends the subject of architecture a historical perspective. Piacé le radieux's temporary exhibitions are held on the ground floor of the Moulin de Blaireau. The Moulin de Blaireau is a former grain mill dating from the 18th or 19th century. In the mill's garden stands the Grange noire, a former sheep barn that hosts exhibitions, performances, readings and concerts. The site thus brings together two former agricultural uses—a grain mill and a sheep barn—with spaces for exhibitions and events.

Chapel and church: building history across several centuries

The Chapelle Saint-Léger dates from the 13th century and stands on the site of a former priory that depended on Saint-Vincent Abbey in Le Mans. The Chapelle priorale Saint-Léger is listed as a historic monument; it was listed on 28 November 1988. The Notre-Dame church offers a different perspective on the passage of time: one original section dates from the 11th and 12th centuries, alongside a 19th-century Neo-Romanesque section. Notre-Dame thus brings together several building phases in a single church; at Saint-Léger, the focus is on the chapel and the history of the former priory. The building phases noted in Piacé range from the 11th and 12th centuries to the 19th century; the mill adds a historical reference dating from the 18th or 19th century.

Landscape and paths

The landscape is also a subject in its own right. In Piacé, the Bienne Valley is among the landscape features of heritage interest; the Île du Moulin site is included as well. A footpath in Piacé is considered ecologically interesting. The “vallée de la Bienne” is one of Piacé's named hiking routes. These classifications apply at different levels: the heritage interest relates to the valley and site, while the ecological interest relates to a footpath. If you would like to give more consideration to landscape and walking, you can include these options in your travel plans alongside the themes of art and architecture.

Discover more destinations: Vinay, Chahaignes, Villaines-sous-Malicorne, Mont-Saint-Jean, Souvigné-Sur-Sarthe, Maresché, Oizé, Avessé.

For the broader travel overview: Sarthe.