Maillet brings together historic buildings and hiking options, offering two distinct perspectives on a stay. Château de Charon is protected as a historic monument, but is visible only from the road. Église Saint-Martin and Chapelle de Bezagette add architecture and religious history to the picture. Two circular trails offer another approach to planning. You can decide whether heritage, a hike or both will shape your stay.

Château de Charon: Monument and History

Since 1 July 2025, Château de Charon has been protected as a historic monument. The protection covers the entire château, including the moat, farm, concrete bridge and dovecote. It therefore includes not only the château building but also the named parts of the estate.

The château is on private land and is visible only from the road. Set your expectations accordingly and plan to view it from outside. The local history also includes an earlier feudal relationship: in the 15th century, the château was a fiefdom under Cluis-Dessus, whose lord was Eudes de Magnac. This historical context belongs to a different period from the monument protection, which began on 1 July 2025.

Churches and Architectural History

Église Saint-Martin was built in 1875, replacing an older church whose origins are thought to date back to the late 11th century. The year 1875 therefore marks the construction of the present church; the earlier date refers to its predecessor and remains uncertain.

The choir has a ribbed vault and opens to the north through a round arch into a side chapel, which also has a ribbed vault. A ribbed vault can be recognised by the projecting ribs on its surface; at Saint-Martin, this form appears in both spaces. The round arch connects them. The church thus offers a chance to observe both the vault form and the spatial arrangement.

The side chapel contains a polychrome wooden statue of the Virgin and Child. Polychrome means multicoloured. Alongside the architecture, this painted wooden figure is one of the church’s distinctive details.

Chapelle de Bezagette

The present Chapelle de Bezagette was built in 1871 to designs by the architect Alfred Dauvergne and dedicated to Saint Germanus. It replaced an earlier church. The year of construction thus marks a distinct chapter in its architectural history, separate from the construction of Église Saint-Martin four years later.

Bézagette was once a parish encompassing a dozen villages north of the present-day areas of the communes of Maillet and Malicornay. The name therefore refers not only to the chapel but is also linked to a former parish area that extended beyond individual buildings.

Hiking in Maillet

Circular trail No. 104, “Au creux des chemins,” is 10.9 km long, marked in yellow and starts at Place de l’église in Maillet. Its distance, trail markings and starting point give you practical information for planning. The distance indicates the length of the hike; the yellow markings and named starting point provide additional guidance.

Circular trail No. 103, “panorama et bocage autour du bourg n°2,” is a family hike. Its title highlights the landscape with “panorama” and “bocage”; bocage refers to a rural landscape of hedgerows. The two trails offer different points of comparison: for No. 104, the distance and yellow markings are key features, while No. 103 is designated as a family hike. You can choose between them based on these specific features.

Discover more destinations: Neuillay-Les-Bois, Baudres, Saint-Hilaire-sur-Benaize, Martizay, Rivarennes, Eguzon-Chantôme, Vigoulant, Cluis

For the broader travel overview: Indre.