The local history of La Genevraie can be traced through precise dates: the Benedictine Priory of Notre-Dame, the parish church of Saint-Laurent and the Château de la Genevraie. Together with the history of the stud farm, they form a cultural theme spanning the Middle Ages to the 19th century.
Priory of Notre-Dame: from foundation to abbey
The Benedictine Priory of Notre-Dame was founded around 1160 by Fouque II, Baron of Merle and Messei. In 1181, a papal bull issued by Alexander III recognised the priory as an abbey. The dates mark two distinct steps: first its foundation, then, just over two decades later, its recognition as an abbey. This sequence helps place its early history in chronological order rather than reducing it to a single year.
The remains described in 1882 included a kitchen, a refectory, several cells used as barns, and the ruins of a chapel. A refectory was a communal dining room; together with the kitchen, chapel and repurposed cells, it gives a sense of the range of spaces described at the time. This list refers to the condition described in 1882.
The recumbent effigy of Foulques du Merle, also known as the Gisant de la GĂ©nevraye, is on display at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. If you would like to see the work there, check its display status with the museum in advance.
Saint-Laurent: building history and artworks
The present-day parish church of Saint-Laurent was built around 1820 near the former church. It houses the sculpture group The Hunt of Saint Hubert; the church also has a large altarpiece dating from the second half of the 17th century. It is worth considering the building and the artworks separately: the altarpiece dates from an earlier period than the present-day church. Its date should therefore not be confused with the year the church was built. The two details offer different chronological perspectives on Saint-Laurent.
Château and stud farm: two historical stages
The Château de la Genevraie was built in 1768 on the site of an older château. Around 1820, Marie Louis Achille Perier established a stud farm in the château. This marks two distinct stages: the construction of a château on a site that had already been built on, followed later by the establishment of the stud farm. The chronology brings together architectural and equestrian history without conflating the dates of the two events.
The Haras de La Genevraye covers 450 hectares of contiguous land: 250 hectares of pasture and 200 hectares of woodland. The land-use breakdown may change over time. The figures also show that, alongside its pasture, the area described includes a substantial amount of woodland.
Plan a stay that suits you
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Discover more destinations: Macé, Saint-Nicolas-Des-Bois, Ceton, Camembert, Marchemaisons, Brieux, Saint-Germain-De-La-Coudre, Dancé.
For the broader travel overview: Orne.
