Médavy: Holiday Apartments and Holiday Homes

The Château de Médavy is an 18th-century Neoclassical manor house. Its architecture was inspired by Mansart; it was built on the foundations of an older fortress. The main building was constructed between 1704 and 1725 by Jacques-Léonor Rouxel de Médavy. The protected grounds include preserved avenues of lime trees, moats with three bridges, and terraces with balustrades.

Anyone wishing to rent a holiday apartment in Médavy can find out in advance about the Château de Médavy and the Prieuré Notre-Dame-du-Repos.

Culture

The Château de Médavy is protected as a historic monument: its façades and roofs, as well as the Tour Saint-Pierre, the Tour Saint-Jean-Baptiste and the chapel, have been classified since 1989; the remaining part of the château has been listed since 1926. A guided tour presents the history of the estate through its buildings, architecture and gardens, tracing it back to its medieval origins and through its heyday in the 17th and 18th centuries.

The Château de Médavy's collection of boats comprises 44 models, including the Titanic, the Charles de Gaulle, Christopher Columbus's Santa Maria, the Belem, the Pen Duick and the Hermione. The Tour Saint-Pierre presents contemporary art by living, internationally renowned artists such as Hubert Le Gall, Jean-Michel Othoniel and Johanna Vasconcelos. Reaching all the rooms in the Tour Saint-Pierre requires climbing a total of 83 steps.

History

The priory church of the Prieuré Notre-Dame-du-Repos in Médavy dates from the 12th to the 15th century and served as a resting place for the Premonstratensian canons of Silly-en-Gouffern Abbey. Traces of 13th-century wall paintings have been preserved on the choir walls. The priory church is classified as a historic monument. The cemetery with its enclosure and cross, the façades and roofs of the former 17th-century infirmary, and the façades and roofs of the 18th-century barn and the adjoining press have been listed.

Visit

The freely accessible exterior tour of the Château de Médavy includes a walk along the Orne, the chapel and the dovecote.

Following the fire in September 2025, a partial reopening of the Château de Médavy was planned for summer 2026, from 27 June to 30 August. The park, the walking path along the Orne, the room with the boat models, the chapel, the dovecote and the Tour Saint-Pierre were to be accessible. The dovecote was intended to house a collection of African art. The main château was to reopen once the work had been completed.

Getting Around

The 33-km cycling loop “A vélo – Les châteaux” runs from Médavy via Mortrée to Saint-Christophe-le-Jajolet and is designed to showcase the heritage of the Orne département.

More location pages: Les Champeaux, Passais, Rânes, Réveillon, Moulins-La-Marche, Belfonds, Malétable, Ménil-Vin.

To the overarching travel overview: Orne.