Saint-Céneri-le-Gérei () is a commune in the

Orne Orne (; or ) is a département in the northwest of France, named after the river Orne. It had a population of 279,942 in 2019.department in north-western

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. It lies on the river Sarthe from Alençon, the

chef-lieu An administrative centre is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune, is located. In countries with French as the administrative language, such as Belgiu ...

of the department, and some west of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. It is classed as a Petites Cités de Caractère.

History

The place is named for Serenicus (or ''Genericus''), an Italian hermit who lived here during the 7th century. Known today as Saint Céneri, the Italian

monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

is reputed to have settled here after a long journey, when he experienced a miracle in answer to his

prayer File:Prayers-collage.png, 300px, alt=Collage of various religionists praying – Clickable Image, Collage of various religionists praying ''(Clickable image – use cursor to identify.)'' rect 0 0 1000 1000 Shinto festivalgoer praying in front ...

for water to quench his thirst. According to legend the so-called miraculous spring, located near the banks of the River Sarthe and today covered by a small stone shelter topped with a cross, sprang up in answer to his prayer. It came to be believed that

water Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known liv ...

from the spring had the ability to cure eye problems. When he died, a

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

was built, later destroyed by the

Vikings Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

in 903. The church was a dependency of the

abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christians, Christian monks and nun ...

of Saint-Evroult-en-Ouche. The name le-''Gérei'' comes from William ''Giroie'', who built a castle here in 1044 of which only parts of the walls remain today. In 1060 the castle came under siege from Duke William II of

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

(the future King William I of England) before being taken by Robert Curthose his son in 1088. During the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy ...

, Ambroise de Loré managed to defend the stronghold against the

king King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

Henry V and, then his brother John Plantagenet until 1434. The beauty of the village's setting, in a wooded loop of the River Sarthe, has attracted and inspired many artists since the 19th century. Among the renowned painters who have been drawn to the village's beauty are

Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot ( , , ; 16 July 1796 – 22 February 1875), or simply Camille Corot, was a French Landscape art, landscape and Portraitist, portrait painter as well as a printmaking, printmaker in etching. A pivotal figure in ...

, Gustave Courbet and Henri Harpignies. The popularity of the

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

was evidenced by the establishment of the Auberge des Sœurs Moisy, a hotel run by the Moisy sisters as an artists' retreat in the latter years of the 19th century. Today the inn on Rue de Dessous, which attracted Impressionist Painters for half a century between 1875 and 1908, is an

art museum An art museum or art gallery is a building or space for the display of art, usually from the museum's own Collection (artwork), collection. It might be in public or private ownership, be accessible to all, or have restrictions in place. Although ...

, the Auberge Des Souers Moisy Museum. The museum's most original feature is its celebrated Salle des Décapités, or Room of the Beheaded, which is decorated with an array of black, silhouetted heads drawn in profile. Pierre Renard, son of artist Mary Renard, recalled the process by which the profiles of

artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating the work of art. The most common usage (in both everyday speech and academic discourse) refers to a practitioner in the visual arts o ...

s of the time were created: "At nightfall, the one whose profile we wanted to reproduce would stand next to the whitewashed wall; one of us held a candle at a distance so that the shadow cast was the size of the model. One of the painters, meanwhile, traced the outline of this shadow in charcoal, and the interior was painted in black. This is how, since then, I have been able to recognize, beyond the half-century which has unfortunately elapsed, the profiles of many artists and friends who are no longer. My child profile is there twice." The village even has its own

festival A festival is an event celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, Melā, mela, or Muslim holidays, eid. A ...

which annually celebrates those painters who came to, or lived in, Saint-Céneri-le-Gérei.

Geography

Saint-Céneri-le-Gérei is situated in the Orne department of the region of

, and is located in the Mancelles Alps in the heart of the Normandy-Maine Regional Nature Park. Saint-Céneri-le-Gérei shares three other Natura 2000 conservation sites with neighbouring communes, the Alpes Mancelles, the Haute vallée de la Sarthe and the Vallée du Sarthon et affluents. The boundary of Normandy and the neighbouring region of

Pays de la Loire Pays de la Loire (; but can also mean 'Lower Loire') is one of the eighteen administrative regions of France, located on the country's Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. It was created in the 1950s to serve as a zone of influence for its capital an ...

is marked by a large metal screw affixed in the stone railing of Saint-Céneri-le-Gérei's historic stone bridge spanning the Sarthe River. The area attracts nature enthusiasts and outdoor adventurers to its wooded hills, rocky cliffs, steep river valleys and patchwork of farmland meadows defined by hedgerows. Visitors are attracted to the nature park's beauty and also to activities such as hiking, horse riding, mountain biking,

canoeing Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. In some parts of Europe, canoeing refers to both canoeing and kayaking, with a canoe being called an 'open canoe' or Canadian. A few of the recreational ...

and

kayaking Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits fac ...

, and

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

. Visitors can climb to the summit of Mont de Avaloirs, which is the highest point in the region and commands far-reaching views despite being only 416 metres high. Saint-Céneri-le-Gérei is also the starting point for a 10-kilometre walk that is outlined in information available at the village's tourist office.

Architecture

The scenic village has many old stone houses along its winding lanes, and a four-arched historic stone

bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...

spans the River Sarthe. An 11th-century Romanesque church is perched high above the

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

and contains large frescoes. The frescoes were painted in the 12th and 14th century, but were plastered over in the 17th century. This is believed to have contributed to their preservation, because they were hidden for about 200 years before they were rediscovered. A 15th-century

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

stone

chapel A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...

whose original wooden incarnation is believed to have been built by Saint Céneri stands alone in a sprawling

meadow A meadow ( ) is an open habitat or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non- woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as they maintain an open character. Meadows can occur naturally under favourable con ...

near the Sarthe. Inside the chapel is a statue of Saint-Céneri to which various miracles have been attributed.

Economy

Saint-Céneri's economy is largely based on

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

, its status as one of '' Les Plus Beaux Villages de France'' ("France's Most Beautiful Villages") attracting many visitors to the village.

Notable buildings and places

Jardins de la Mansonière is a garden that is open to the public.

National heritage sites

The Commune has four buildings and areas listed as a Monument historique *Saint-Céneri Chapel a fifteenth century chapel in Saint-Céneri-le-Gérei. * The former Moisy Inn an eighteenth century former inn in Saint-Céneri-le-Gérei, that attracted several artists including Mary Renard and Paul Saïn. * Church of Saint-Céneri-le-Gerei an eleventh century church Saint-Céneri-le-Gérei. * The former Legangeux hotel a nineteenth century former hotel in Saint-Céneri-le-Gérei, that features several paintings by visiting artists, such as Mary Renard. The former hotel is now a museum.

Transport

Saint-Céneri lies within 10 to of both the A28 motorway – linking Abbeville to

Tours Tours ( ; ) is the largest city in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 inhabita ...

by way of

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine, in northwestern France. It is in the prefecture of Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one ...

and

Le Mans Le Mans (; ) is a Communes of France, city in Northwestern France on the Sarthe (river), Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the Provinces of France, province of Maine (province), Maine, it is now the capital of ...

– and the N12 trunk road from Paris to

Rennes Rennes (; ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in Northwestern France at the confluence of the rivers Ille and Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the Brittany (administrative region), Brittany Regions of F ...

and Brest.

References

External links

Saint-Céneri-le-Gérei website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saintcenerilegerei Communes of Orne Plus Beaux Villages de France Gardens in Orne Monuments historiques of Orne Museums in Orne