Rouessé-Vassé: Holiday Apartments and Holiday Homes

The Château de Vassé lies in the Vègre Valley, about 1 kilometre from the centre of Rouessé-Vassé, on the road to Sillé-le-Guillaume. Construction began around 1595 on the site of an older fortified structure dating from the 11th and 14th centuries.

Those choosing Rouessé-Vassé as a holiday destination may be planning to rent a holiday apartment.

Culture and History

The Château de Vassé includes the Colombier de Vassé, with almost 2,000 pigeon nesting places. It was restored in 2001 and received the “Trophée du Patrimoine de Pays” award in 2002. In the 16th century, the Colombier de Rouessé-Vassé was one of the region’s most important freestanding dovecotes and belonged to the owner of the Château de Vassé.

The Église Saint-Béat in Rouessé-Vassé is designated as a historic site and monument. Its nave was built in the 11th or 12th century and has survived to the present day. Its furnishings include a 16th-century Crucifixion painting on wood, three marble tomb slabs bearing the Vassé coat of arms, and a choir window signed by Henri Carot, which is a reproduction of a stained-glass window in Bourges Cathedral.

The present-day Chapelle de la Croix-Lamare was built on the hill in 1862 and blessed on 23 September of the same year. The Chapelle Saint-Mathurin is one of the oldest chapels in Rouessé-Vassé and dates from the late 16th century. Mass is celebrated there every year during the Rogation Days.

The Four à chaux – le Four in Rouessé-Vassé is an industrial monument dating from the second quarter of the 19th century. The Jocaillé lime kiln, also known as the Four à chaux de la Pièce, was already in operation in 1777 and was rebuilt around 1865 by Auguste Osou. It was initially fired with wood and later with coal, producing quicklime for agriculture and construction; operations ended around 1905. The Four à chaux de Rouessé-Vassé is designated as a historic site and monument in Rouessé-Vassé.

Nature and Hiking

The Sillé-le-Guillaume state forest lies within the municipality of Rouessé-Vassé and offers numerous hiking trails through distinctive landscapes.

The “Circuit le village Vassé et la forêt” circular route is a 16-kilometre hiking trail classified as difficult, with a stated duration of four hours. It follows the white-and-red-marked GR® 365 long-distance trail, which connects La Chapelle-Janson and Durtal, and starts and ends at the church in Rouessé-Vassé.

More local pages: Jupilles, Surfonds, Cogners, Beaumont-sur-Dême, Villaines-la-Carelle, Mamers, Rouez, Champagné.

Back to the main travel overview: Sarthe.