Welcome to the canton of lencloître

Cernay is a typical commune of the rural localities of the Haut-Poitou. It is an accessible borough where it makes good things in life with the calm one. The past left there old houses which testify to the local country life.

Church: built in the XII century by the monks of Marmoutier (close to Turns). To note: its stall out of wooden of oak of the XVIII century; the presence in the bell-tower of two bronze bells from 1574 and 1599.

Sarcophagus of Serene saint: located inside the church. Saint Serein was a local saint. It is a sarcophagus hones some of them there remain Gothic traces of sculptures. We can also notice his statue, classified historic building.

Priory: royal priory of the XII century, contiguous to the church, of foreign style to the area.

According to a diploma of Charlemagne, for Saint Martin of Tours, Doussay was called  into 774 Dociacus . Before 1790, the commune depends on the archpriest and the baronnie of Mirebeau.

• Saint Martin church (closed due to work): dating from X century, this building is classified since 1984.

To notice: its turret of staircase covered with a stone vault, its capitals of XI century, its furnace bridge out of wooden, its main door in handle of basket surmounted by a profiled accodance of XVecentury.

• Mural fresco: located in the old presbytery, this mural fresco dates from the XVIIIe century. It is an oil on wood.
• Laundrette: located at the entry of the borough, it dates from XIV century. It is there that the women of the village found themselves.
• Gate of the “Jacquelin”: dating from the XVII century.
• Pigeon: located at “Clozure”, this square pigeon-porch is built out of micaceous chalk stone. A engraved escutcheon indicates its date of construction (1822).
• Beaudeau court: interior court of a farm dating from the XVII century. A castle was held to with it. To note: its pigeon round, the pediment of a door to the weapons of the marquis de Chouppes.
• Old station: located at “Jutière” and going back to 1885, this old passanger station is built out of coated stone. It was in activity until 1985.

Lencloître owes its name with its old cloister, rested by Robert of Arbrissel at the beginning of the XII century, which concerned the abbey of Fontevraud.

• Notre Dame church: date from the XII century. Depended on the abbey of Fontevraud. It contains an interesting collection of tables which a triptych painted on fabric of XVI.
• Priory Notre-Dame (external visit): built in 1109, it was richly equipped with farms and grounds of market gardenings. It resembles that Fontevraud by the orientation of the buildings.
• Porch of the fashionable country inn: date from the XVII century. It gave access to the fashionable country inn of the old convent where the pilgrims made stage. Its pediment is carved of a lion, emblem of the abbey of Fontevraud.
• Pigeon (visit on request): this pigeon round dating from the XVII century has 1.200 putlog-holes and a swivelling scale.
• Pontreau (street Saint-Exupéry): built in 1810, this middle-class residence was transformed into old people's home.
• Castle of Picol (locality “Picol”): built at the XIX century in a splendid landscape park. Many bays with mullions.
• Oratory of “Boussageau”: old wood statue which was in the old church of Boussageau, ransacked and burned in 1793.

In the middle of a peaceful landscape, worked with the wire of time by the work of the men who knew to reconcile the assets of last and the contemporary contributions: Orches, village built around its church, with the hollow of the hills protected by wood, especially of acacias and chestnuts, knew to allure since prehistory.

• Baker's oven (visit on request with the bar/restaurant): at rest since the closing of bakery, in the years 1980, it is perfectly preserved and is useful still occasionally.
• Saint-Hilaire church: former Romance priory preceded by a porch out of wooden, with nave with three spans, flat bedside, capitals of XIIe century, epitaph of the XVI century, polychrome ogival vault, tables of the XVII century (holy Roch, holy Alexis, holy Pierre, Virgin with the givers), stained glasses of the XIXe century.
• Laundrette (road of Sossay): used until the end of the Fifties.
• The Cellars (locality “Cellars of Orches”): at the origin, career from where one extracted the stone being used for construction from the surrounding houses. At the beginning of the XX century, the galleries are used like now unused mushroom beds.

Before 1790, this commune belonged to the archpriest of Dissay, the duchy and the seneschalsy of Châtellerault. Today, located in the Country of the Haut-Poitou, Ouzilly is a ground of market gardenings where you can taste melons or asparaguses.

• Saint-Hilaire church: dating from the XII century, it is registered with the historic buildings since 1933. The rectangular construction, it was renovated recently. To note: its strengthened frontage of XII century with graffiti of XV century, its narthex in oak and its bell-tower.
• Castle of Sapwoods (locality “Sapwoods”): built in 1850 with a residential aim.
• Castle of Tricon (locality “Tricon”): date from the XIX century. The son of the lord of Tricon was a comrade of Napoleon Bonaparte at the military academy of Brienne.
• Old factory of hemp: built in 1895, it had a very important activity. The various machines were activated by the mill of Launay. One still distinguishes from this factory in ruin, a chimney out of bricks.
• Oratory: this cave was built one half-century ago on the initiative of the father Loïc Dauger and some people of the commune.

This commune existed at the IV century under the name of Ambigaria. The name of Saint-Genest appears in 1402, at the time of the dedication of the old church, built on the foundations of a sanctuary of the VII century.

• Castle of Abin (locality “Abin”): it is quoted as of the XIII century, remarkable by its ditches, it had a religious vocation; it depended on the abbey of Fontevraud. Registered voter with the inventory of the Historic buildings.
• Castle of Pouët (locality “Pouët”): X century, transformed in XV century; primarily of military use.
• Castle of Puygarreau (visit on request - locality “Puygarreau”): it also extends on the commune of Sossay, with arched ditches and cellars.
• Town hall: middle-class building of the XIX century.
• Church: the development of common was related to the cloister of the Gironde, founded in XII century by Robert d' Arbrissel (order of Fontevraud). The current church built in 1902 preserved the old apse with 2 stained glasses representing the judgement of Genest saint and his decapitation. You can admire there a carved pulpit of the XVII century coming from the church of the Visitation of Poitiers.

Come to discover the diversity of the landscapes of Lencloîtrais and its local inheritance through 220 km of footpaths marked out. You will traverse in underwood of the shaded ways, you will be allured by the calme, serenity along our river Envigne.

18 circuits were create through our Canton:

• Cernay: 1 circuit of 13 km
• Doussay: 1 circuit of 13,5 km
• Lencloître: 2 circuits of 11,5 km and 13 km
• Orches: 1 circuit of 13 km Ouzilly: 1 circuit of 13,5 km
• Saint-Genest d' Ambière: 6 circuits from 10 to 13 km
• Savigny under Faye: 1 circuit of 13 km
• Scorbé-Clairvaux: 4 circuits from 8 to 11 km
• Sossay: 1 circuit of 11 km
• A detailed and free guide is available to the tourist office.