Here I am again on my road warrior ways in my beautiful Morbihan, This is heaven with so many and long coast and pretty towns alongside, There are so many do not think will see them all in my lifetime !! Anyway, I keep on trying and besides some familiar ones, I dwell into new ones such as Billiers. Let me give my take on Billiers ok ; another town passed by and finally came into city center. Hope you enjoy the post as I.
The town of Billiers is located in my beautiful department 56 of Morbihan in my lovely region of Bretagne. The main here are the wonderful beaches several to be exact. There are the Plage des Amoureux, Plage des Granges, Plage des Barges (where we were) or Baie des Prêtres: family or intimate, small or large, in the sun or a little sheltered, there is certainly the beach you need in Billiers ! A great combination of land and sea lol !!
The Plage des Barges beach will be love by shore fishing enthusiasts will find some rocks on the sides. Large free car park and restaurant near the beach, 200 meters and facing south offers you a moment of relaxation in front of the estuary of Vilaine. Seems like a very relax little beach to unwind for a day.From this beach you can see the Domaine de Rochevilaine which is now a luxe lodging.
The Church of Saint Maxent dates back to the 17C for the oldest part, the Choir in particular. It was extensively altered in the 19C and renovated in 1995. The 17C church had only one nave without aisles and a small bell tower. In 1837, this is how major works were undertaken: 2 aisles were built with 4 pillars on each side and 4 transverse bays with 8 vaults, 1 door on either side and 4 semicircular windows, 1 porch was added · the frame redone · a square tower 15 meters high, surmounted by a 6-meter lighthouse lantern, replaced the small bell tower. The chancel and the apse were kept as they were, with the 4 current large windows. In 1995, major renovation work was undertaken.
Other things to see here are
The Notre-Dame de Prières Abbey was founded in 1252 by Jean Ier dit “le Roux”, Duke of Brittany, to be forgiven for having destroyed the small monastery of Saint-Pabu, in the peninsula of Rhuys, during of the extension of a park around the Suscinio castle (see post). It was offered to the Cistercian monks to pray night and day for their founder and for the souls of sailors who would be shipwrecked on this perilous coast, hence its name of Prayers. This monastery was for 500 years, one of the best known in Brittany. The French revolution drove out the monks in 1792. The abbey was transformed into barracks, the church served as a fodder store and stable. the lead which covered the dome was removed to make slabs. The chapel contains, among other things, the tombstones of John I (died 1285) and Isabella of Castile, wife of John III. The stones from the abbey were used to build the abutments of the La Roche Bernard bridge around 1839. The Dolmen de Crapaud or the Dolmen of Les Granges, nicknamed “the crapaud or toad” because of its resemblance to this amphibian. The cairn des Grayes is located about fifty meters from the cliff overlooking the north coast of the Vilaine estuary, not far from the pointe de Pen Lan, and the Toad Dolmen, is located nearby. The phare de Pen Lan lighthouse. The pointe de Pen Lan has a lighthouse built in 1837. 18 meters high, it rises 26 meters above the sea, you have to climb 73 steps to reach the lighthouse top.
I must add to this post a bit on the excellent Domaine de Rochevilaine, a lodging worth the stay me think and already looking forward to it before year’s end. On a rocky peninsula of more than one hectare, including 300 meters of private seafront. A key location on the ancient tin route, Rochevilaine is a place where the Phoenicians would have come to buy and transport the tin needed for the copper foundries producing bronze, a universal material of the time. They were probably the first guests. in the 13C, Jean 1er Duke of Brittany founded the abbey of Prières in Pen Lan. Rochevilaine retains from this period a lookout post which is part of the abbey property; this is attached to a circular turret used to store powders and today wine! Even more recently, various blocks of the Atlantic Wall have been installed in this strategic location: platforms for guns, underground shelters…Rochevilaine keeps the memory of these fortifications which pepper its basements. At the end of the WWII, all that remained was a memory materialized by abandoned walls. in 1956 an inn which will appear in the Michelin Guide from 1958. From 1997, the Domaine de Rochevilaine was the first French Spa. The concept of “marine spa” was born! In 2004, this jewel of the Breton hotel industry brilliantly returned to the prestigious international association Relais & Châteaux. It must be said here that it is one of the oldest members of the whole Brittany region since it appeared in 1961 in the Relais de Campagne guide, the ancestor of the international group. webpage: http://domainerochevilaine.com/fr/
The town of Billiers on the Church St Maxent : https://www.billiers.fr/patrimoine?pgid=kq8ft6fd-9af05d18-4632-45c0-b21a-295cce807774
The local Damgan-La Roche Bernard tourist office on Billiers: https://www.damgan-larochebernard-tourisme.com/lieux-incontournables/billiers-et-la-pointe-de-pen-lan/
There you go folks, another dandy road warrior ride in my beautiful Morbihan ! It really is beautiful. I have finally entered the town of Billiers, and worth the detour and back visit me think. For now enjoy my latest post on Billiers; and hope you enjoy the post as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 
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