Belfonds: Holiday Apartments and Holiday Homes

The Chapelle Saint-Latuin, its parish grounds, the cemetery cross and the Fontaine Saint-Lin are protected as historic monuments.

Anyone wishing to rent a holiday apartment in Belfonds can plan their stay around this destination.

Culture and History

The Chapelle Saint-Latuin in Cléray is a pilgrimage chapel associated with Latuin, the saint described as the first bishop of the Diocese of Sées; the chapel is located at the presumed site of his grave. It has a western bell tower with a porch, a nave, a straight-ended chancel and an attached seigneurial chapel. The chancel wall bears graffiti depicting holy hands, a knot and crosses.

The protected area around the Fontaine Saint-Lin was extended in 2018 to include the plots of land and the archaeologically significant remains preserved underground in Cléray and La Couture. According to popular belief, the Fontaine Saint-Lin has healing powers for skin diseases; pieces of fabric are attached to the railings as offerings.

The church of Saint-Latuin in Cléray is mentioned as early as 1088 in a document from Saint-Martin de Sées Abbey. After the Norman invasion, Cléray was the seat of an important barony; the Manoir de Cléray is stated to date from the 16th and 17th centuries. The protected Manoir de Cléray comprises the main building flanked by two wings, a detached pavilion, a tower on the southern outbuilding, the façades and roofs of all the outbuildings, the moats, the hydraulic network and the remains of a mill.

The Église Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption in Belfonds has stained-glass windows by Adeline Hébert-Stevens and Paul Bony. The church also contains a ceramic Stations of the Cross by Bony. The Oratoire Saint-Clair offers a panoramic view over the Sées valley and the cathedral towers. The Oratoire Saint-Clair is associated with the tradition of bringing good weather to weddings and promoting fertility; people who wish to have children occasionally leave eggs there.

Nature and Trails

The “haute vallée de l’Orne et affluents” Natura 2000 site covers part of the municipality of Belfonds and is designated as Special Area of Conservation FR 2500099. The church of Saint-Latuin in Cléray stands on the edge of the Écouves Forest in an enclosed parish precinct surrounded by greenery and featuring a Hosanna cross.

A 13.5-kilometre circular hiking trail lasting approximately three and a half hours starts in Belfonds.

Geographical Setting

Near Belfonds are Château de Villiers and the historic site of Abbaye Notre-Dame d’Almenêches. In the wider region around Belfonds are Château de Lonray, the historic site of Château des Ducs (Argentan), Butte Chaumont hill and Parc Régional Normandie-Maine, which is listed as a park.

More local pages: La Chapelle-D'andaine, Fontenai-Sur-Orne, Saint-Aubin-d'Appenai, Champsecret, Heugon, Colonard-Corubert, Aubry-le-Panthou, La Ferté-Frênel

To the main travel overview: Orne.