Montfort-le-Gesnois

The former parish church of the village of Saussay, dates to the 11th, 12th and 16th centuries. The walls in rubble course, pierced with loopholes go back to the foundation of the church. In the 16th century, wider windows were pierced and two centuries later, the door of the western façade

THE MURAL PAINTINGS

1) Vestiges of 12th-century paintings representing the Labours of the Months (March: pruning).

2) Masonry pattern and star-studded background (may date back to the 11th century)

A lantern of the dead is a turret which looks like a small lighthouse and whose summit is pierced with windows, An oil lamp was kept burning all night. These lanterns were built in graveyards in order to ward off evil spirits and to honour the dead. On highways and in front of abbeys and monasteries, they guided travellers towards a safe haven. The lantern in the graveyard of Parigné-l'Evêque dates back to the 11th century. The chapel is more recent.

HOARDING OF JOUE-L'ABBE'S CHURCH

A hoarding is a sort of timber gallery placed on top of a curtain wall or a tower, which enabled those who were besieged to throw boiling oil or other projectiles at their attackers. Some hoardings were permanently linked to the wall and covered with slates. They were corbelled out to cover the foot of the wall. They are rarely seen on churches