This is Bessé sur Braye !!!

Posted in France

And why not continue this wonderful nostalgic saga of looking into my vast cd rom vaults and finding me wonderful pictures to share in my blog for you and me Let me tell you a off the beaten path village that has a nice property as anywhere in my belle France, After passing by it and briefly stopping there we came upon a nice castle. It was awesome! Therefore, here is my take on this is Bessé sur Braye !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

The village of Bessé-sur-Braye is located in the Sarthe department 72 in the Pays de la Loire region of my belle France. It has a population of 2,025. The town is bathed by the Braye River, a major tributary of the Loir, in the Perche region. It is located 52 km from Le Mans, 70 km from Tours, 68 km from Blois, 184 km from Versailles, and 335 km from my current home, I came here on my road warrior trails from my current home along the N24 dir Rennes then N157/A81 dir Le Mans, connecting with the A11 at Le Mans get off at the A28 dir Tours but get off at the D357 dir Bouloire until the D74 dir La Chapelle Huon and continue on the D303 to the village of Bessé sur Braye.

The Château de Courtanvaux is a large castle, built at the end of the 15C, is an example of the late Gothic period. It preserves traces of the old medieval manor: openings for the drawbridge, dry moats, watchtowers and machicolations. The façade is pierced with mullioned windows and adorned with neo-Gothic decorations, evidence of the restorations undergone in the 19C. The estate is accessed through a Renaissance entrance gate dating from 1582, flanked by two round turrets, sculpted with arabesques and interlacing, surmounted by lantern domes. The postern gate is one of the finest examples of its kind in the entire Perche and Maine region. The castle chapel dedicated to Notre-Dame-de-Lorette, founded in 1454, has a neo-Gothic portal. The 15C dovecote, the 19C orangery and stables, and the English-style park complete the imposing complex of buildings. The 19C entrance or Lions Gate from 1874, remains visible a kilometer from the castle and consists of a limestone and wrought iron gate. The interior of the château, restored in the 19C, features pocket doors, Y-shaped ribbed vaults, and mirrors inlaid in the shutters.

The first buildings date back to the 14C, when the lords of Bessé built a medieval manor house intended to reassure the population and serve as a refuge in the event of conflict. In the mid-15C, Jacques Berziau, the king’s secretary general, became the owner. He undertook numerous works and enlarged the estate with a chapel, a small castle, a dovecote and above all the main castle between 1450 and 1490. The Château de Courtanvaux was passed down by inheritance or marriage and three families succeeded one another, constantly developing the estate, until its sale to the village of Bessé sur Braye in 1978.  Courtanvaux today encompasses an estate of nearly 68 hectares, with hiking and cycling trails through the woods, a lake, children’s playgrounds, and picnic areas around the château. The English-style park faces the grand château, while the inner courtyard houses an elegant French-style garden.

Other things to see here are the Château de la Massuère, from the 17C and 19C, and the Church Notre Dame de l’Assomption, dating from the late 19C in neo-Gothic style. The bell tower-campanile section, dating from the 14–17C, bears witness to the old church. This church houses: a 16C wooden Christ on the rood screen; and Saint Anne, the Virgin and Child: a 16C stone group.

The history is directly link to the castle, The Lordship of parishes as the families of Bessé, then of Vendosmoys, attached to the lordship of Courtanvaux in 1586 by Gilles de Souvré, Marshal of France, Marquis of Courtanvaux.

The official Château de Courtanvaux: https://www.chateaudecourtanvaux.com/

The village of Besse sur Braye on the castle : https://besse-sur-braye.fr/decouvrir/le-chateau/

The Sarthe dept 72 tourist office on the castle : https://www.sarthetourism.com/cultural-heritage/chateau-de-courtanvaux/

There you go folks , this is a brief introduction to the quant village of Bessé sur Braye, a pleasant surprise with a nice castle. Again, hope you enjoy this post on this is Bésse sur Braye !!! as I

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!

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Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

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