Moutiers-les-Mauxfaits travel guide

Visit Moutiers-les-Mauxfaits (Pays de la Loire, France)

Moutiers-les-Mauxfaits is a village in the countryside of the Vendée department of north-west France, about 15 kilometres from the coast and beaches for which the area is best known.

Explore Moutiers-les-Mauxfaits

France This Way review: although it is a small village, Moutiers-les-Mauxfaits has an impressive medieval market hall and church, so worth a visit if you are passing

In the centre of the village near the Moutiers-les-Mauxfaits tourist information office you can see the market hall, a very large structure with open sides supported by large round stone columns and impressive carpentry for the the roof.

There has been a market hall here since the 12th century but following various demolitions and reconstructions, the hall we see today was built towards the end of the 18th century.

You may notice the doric style of the stone columns, which is unusual for a market hall in rural France: this style was selected by an architect who was an enthusiast of the classical style!

The church Saint-Jacques in Moutiers-les-Mauxfaits was built at the end of the 12th century and retains its roman style characteristics such as the round arches around the entrance. The apse is a 19th century reconstruction.

The church is of quite a simple design, with a facade pierced by several arches and an octagonal tower. The church has no transept although it does have side naves, separated from the main nave by massive stone columns.

On the edge of the village you can visit the Chateau de la Cantaudière (between June and September), an impressive 16th century castle that started life as a medieval fortress - you can still see three of the four original round towers, even if the rest of the building is more recent.

On the narrow river Troussepoul to the south of the centre of the village (follow Rue de la Fontaine off Rue Raymond Poincaré) you can see a traditional washhouse and the Fontaine de Saint Brix - although the plants growing in the water of the lavoir suggest it hasn't been used for communal washing for a while!

Attractions nearby

Most visitors will want to visit the coast while they are here (you are perhaps more likely to stay near the coast and make a trip to visit Moutiers-les-Mauxfaits). The small resorts of Jard-sur-Mer and La Tranche-sur-Mer are to the south of here, and the large resort at Les Sables d'Olonne is a bit further to to the west.

The town of La Roche-sur-Yon to the north has an attractive town centre, and the castle at Talmont-Saint-Hilaire is interesting to visit at all times of year and often presents impressive spectacles during the summer months.

You can find more travel ideas in the Vendee guide and the Pays de la Loire guide.