I was looking at my blog now with a lot more time and came upon a picture passing by here, This is part of my road warrior trips in my belle France, sometimes too fast but well, as the saying goes we will be back ! I have come to know many but this one somehow been on the road remembered it well, Therefore, let’s talk about Lombron !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
The town of Lombron is located in the department 72 of the Sarthe in the Pays de la Loire region of my belle France, the town was part of the historic province of Maine ,and was in the Haut-Maine area, My contact with Lombron is very brief but a dot in my world map nevertheless and need to have it in my blog, The rest area of La Charpenterie on the A11 highway/motorway at km 124.9: with only parking, and toilettes (WC) was good for a good rest on my road warrior ways, Yes rest is a must you must have, even if in France they tell us to do it every 2 hrs, I tend to extend it to 4 hrs but do stop. Two of my 3 sons and our dog Rex below !
This is a very small town so not dwell into city center but should be on the lookout for next passing, Some of things to see here eventually are : Château de Lauresse from the 17C built around 1670, The feudal site of Lauresse dates back to the 11C, The most prominent owner were the Taillements during the second half of the 15C (reign of Louis XI and Charles VIII); It was their coat of arms which appeared on the keystone of the east cross of the transept. France was then enduring the cruel wars of religion; the first Montmorency, loyal servants of the monarchy, always on the campaign, hardly had the leisure to take an interest in their domain of Lauresse where no doubt only vassals and servants resided. Under the Bourbon kings an era of peace and restoration was established, and it is probably to Pierre II de Montmorency-Lauresse that we must attribute the construction of the current castle, a beautiful residence whose layout recalls the architecture of castles from Île de France region from the middle of the 17C. Monsieur and Madame De Montmorency both died in Paris, Saint Sulpice Church (see post), he in 1668, she in 1678. The heart of the latter was brought back to Lombron, enclosed in a lead urn which was embedded in a niche in the east gable of the transept. We can still see at this location the copper plaque in the shape of a heart recalling the memory of this lady.Today, the castle is the property of Madame and Monsieur Lecot and is not visited.
The Saint-Martin Church from the 12C and 15C, with Romanesque architecture from the 12C, The church houses a 16C seigniorial bench with the arms of Montmorency-Laval-Boisdauphin, The benches were engraved in 1764. The Château de l’Aunay or the manoir de la Grand’ Maison, from the 15C to the Renaissance period. Elegant main building facing south, flanked by two corner turrets with pepperbox roofs; roof decorated with beautiful dormer windows with triangular pediments; beautiful moats lined with willows where swans shine their whiteness in the sun.
A bit of history I like tell us that Lombron had already known in the spring of 1940, a staff of Nazis officers and non-commissioned officers who had stayed there briefly. A couple from the town were elevated in 1989 to the rank of Righteous Among the Nations, for having sheltered a Jewish child during the occupation: Alice and Ernest Guitton. The rest of the sector was more “calm” during the Liberation. Apart from the existence in Saint-Mars-la-Brière of the temporary American cemetery of Saint-Corneille which had buried 521 American soldiers there, the time of their repatriation home and to Normandy in Colleville sur Mer. The biggest City in the area Le Mans was liberated on August 8, 1944 by General Patton’s 3rd US Army.
The town of Lombron on its heritage : https://www.mairie-lombron.fr/notre-commune/presentation/
The Vinci autoroutes rest area of La Charpenterie in Lombron : https://ulys.vinci-autoroutes.com/aire/aire-de-la-charpenterie/
There you go folks, a nice ride on the roads of my belle France, and the A11 even with tolls is very good indeed. And if passing by it by all means stop on this rest stop at Lombron on your way from/to Paris ! Again, hope you enjoy the post on let’s talk about Lombron as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 