At the place called “Le Chenil”, a granite memorial bearing a Cross of Lorraine provides a specific focus for remembrance in Coulombiers. The church offers a different cultural and historical perspective through its architectural features and the statues on the high altar. The railway station and routes add practical points of reference for finding your way around this local history. Together, these offer three distinct themes to consider when planning a trip: local remembrance, church art and transport links.
Remembrance at Le Chenil
The memorial commemorates five soldiers of the 2e DB who were killed when their tank was attacked. Ceremonies are held every year in memory of the men who fell on 11 August 1944. The events of that Friday are described with specific timings: on Friday, 11 August 1944, Coulombiers was sighted at around 8:30 a.m. and occupied without resistance at around 9 a.m. An order was then issued to occupy the crossroads area known as “Le Chenil”. For historical context, it is useful to distinguish between the accounts: the memorial names the five soldiers, while the account of events describes the occupation of Coulombiers and the subsequent order concerning the crossroads area.
The church: architecture and art
The church in Coulombiers has a semicircular apse and a square bell tower with one storey of pointed-arch openings. A blocked-up Romanesque doorway is set into the south wall of the nave; its archivolt is decorated with a torus moulding. These features offer different ways to explore the architecture: the apse and tower describe architectural forms, while the doorway and its archivolt are a single detail of the wall’s design. The two statues on the high altar are made of polychrome, gilded wood. They date from the 17th century and are protected as movable historic monuments; they were classified in 1982. The date and protected status apply to these two figures and add an art-historical perspective to the description of the church building.
Railway station and routes for finding your way
La Hutte-Coulombiers railway station is in La Hutte, a locality described by the tourist office as the former commune of Coulombiers, on the Le Mans–Alençon–Caen railway line. It has an outdoor platform with a shelter, a secure bicycle locker, a car park with 40 spaces and an electric vehicle charging station. This provides details of the station’s location, railway line and facilities.
The country-road option on the tourist route through the Alpes Mancelles follows the D118 through Coulombiers and then the D129 to Piacé. It specifies a particular sequence of roads and the next destination. Coulombiers is also marked at kilometre 342 on the Voie de la 2e DB. This kilometre reference locates Coulombiers on the Voie de la 2e DB rather than giving a sequence of roads to Piacé. A route along roads and a kilometre marker therefore offer different points of reference for finding your way.
More destinations
Discover more destinations: Joué-en-Charnie, Poncé-Sur-Le-Loir, Piacé, Saint-Jean-du-Bois, Louplande, Saint-Pierre-Du-Lorouer, Auvers-le-Hamon, Montbizot
Return to the main travel overview: Sarthe.
