Randonnée à Rochefort-en-Terre

Walking/pedestrian , Mountain biking at Rochefort-en-Terre

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7.6 km

Walking/pedestrian

Easy

7.6 km

Mountain biking

45min

Medium

RochefortenTerre Tourisme

Perched on a shale-like spur, Rochefort-en-Terre attracted many artists and painters in the early 20th century. Today, it is considered a "Petite Cité de Caractère" (an award honouring the remarkable architectural heritage and landscapes of small villages in France) and welcomes many artists and galleries. Full of many beautiful flowers and floral arrangements, the town has also been awarded the "Village Fleuri - 4 fleurs" award (the highest honour) as well as the "Plus Beaux Villages de France" award (The Most Beautiful Villages of France).
Visit the city in english with www.cirkwi.com/#!page=circuit&id=29157&langue=en
Please Follow the yellow marks.
Documentation
- GPX Trace
GPX / KML files allow you to export the trail of your hike to your GPS (or other navigation tool)

Accepted customers
- Individuals

Points of interest

1 Departure Place Saint Michel

2 Exiting Rochefort

3 Traversée de la RD777

4 Moulin Neuf Pond

5 Traversée de la RD774

6 NOTRE DAME DE LA TRONCHAYE CHURCH

7 FORTIFICATIONS

1 Departure Place Saint Michel

Take the D774 towards "Vieux Bourg" of Rochefort-en-Terre.

2 Exiting Rochefort

While exiting the city, turn left onto Rue St Nicolas, also known as the "Path of the Dead". At Pont aux Roux, take the municipal road on your left and then the dirt road on your right. Cross the D777 and continue going straight (Moulin de Bogeais to your left) until you reach Moulin Neuf pond.

3 Traversée de la RD777

Traverser la D777 puis continuer le chemin creux tout droit (Moulin de Bogeais à gauche) qui descend en sous-bois au plan d’eau du Moulin Neuf

4 Moulin Neuf Pond

You can shorten the trail by going around the legt side of the pond.
Otherwise, turn left, walk along the pond until you reach a stone staircase. Take the stairs, cross the D774 and take the opposite road. On the left, take a path up to the hill. Turn left on the road. Walk along the walls of St Fiacre manor by taking the nice shady road. After the manor of Fuye, take the path in front of you until you reach an antique dealer’s warehouse. Turn left on D21, cross the bridge and take the stairs to the left under the crucifix to reach St Michel chapel and the parking lot.

5 Traversée de la RD774

Traverser la RD774 et prendre la route qui monte. Très vite, trouver à gauche un sentier qui grimpe en sous-bois.
A la route, tourner à gauche. Passer devant le manoir de St Fiacre. Après le manoir de la Fuye, prendre le chemin en face jusqu’à l’entrepôt d’un antiquaire.
Prendre à gauche la RD21, franchir le pont et emprunter à gauche l’escalier sous le calvaire pour atteindre la chapelle St Michel et retrouver le parking.

6 NOTRE DAME DE LA TRONCHAYE CHURCH

Notre-Dame-de-la-Tronchaye Church is oddly located on a slope in the lower part of the city. Legend has it that during the 9th or 10th century, during the Norman invasions, a priest hid a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary breast-feeding her baby in a hollow tree trunk in order to protect it from the pillaging. Two centuries later, a shepherdess found the statue in the tree trunk and the town decided to build a church there. The story is retold on the stained glass windows. A sculpted cross recalling the Passion of the Christ is found in the square in front of the church, where the former Rochefort cemetery was located up until the 19th century.
Upon entering the church, you will be surprised by the pillars that lean due to the landslides towards the south, and then the west. To prevent the church from collapsing, buttresses were built on the southern end, extending the aisles parallel to the nave, and on the western side, lengthening the nave and allowing a tribune to be built. In 1498, Jean IV de Rieux-Rochefort founded a college, thanks to the 100,000 gold coins that he received from Anne of Brittany, for seven canons to pray for the repose of the soul of the lord and his family. In the choir, you can still see their carved stalls. In 1925, Rochefort-en-Terre became dedicated to the Virgin Mary and two new stained glass windows were built in the church: one window in 1926 representing the Holy Family located in the back choir and the second built in 1927 of the shepherdess discovering the statue of the Virgin Mary in the tree trunk.

7 FORTIFICATIONS

During the 12th century, the castle and city were built on this rocky spur, called “Roche Fort” (large rock). From then on, the place and family were both named “Rochefort”.
In the 14th century, the Rochefort family no longer had any heirs and, therefore, married into the Rieux family. The site and feudal castle thus belonged to the Rieux Rocheforts. It was under this family’s reign, especially under Jean IV de Rieux Rochefort, that the city began to thrive. Jean IV, like several other Breton lords, was opposed to the annexation of Brittany by the Kingdom of France. Nonetheless, Charles VIII commanded to destroy all Breton castles, including Rochefort, after winning the battle of St-Aubin-du-Cormier. However, Jean IV was the guardian of Anne of Brittany, who married Charles VIII and became the Queen of France. Therefore, Charles VIII granted Rochefort 100,000 gold coins, which allowed him to rebuild his castle, surround it with strong fortifications and bring canons into the church. The castle was then destroyed during the French Revolution. It was not until the 20th century that the American painter, Alfred Klots, bought the ruins and turned the castle’s old outbuildings into luxurious apartments

RochefortenTerre Tourisme

RochefortenTerre Tourisme