Mazé-Milon is a town in Maine-et-Loire, in the Pays de la Loire region, 15 km east of Angers.
The town was officially created on January 1, 2016 following the merger of Mazé (4990 inhabitants) and Fontaine-Milon (588 inhabitants).
A few kilometers north of the banks of the Loire classified as World Heritage by UNESCO, the territory is included in the Regional Natural Park of Loire Anjou Touraine. Mazé has developed in the Authion Valley and its tributaries on a land suitable for horticulture. Hence his nickname "Little Holland".
Dominated by the Count of Anjou from the Middle Ages after having been inhabited during the Gallo-Roman era, famous for its white tufa stone dwellings, Mazé is in the 11th century the fief of Geoffroy de Chateaubriand who raises a first castle. It will be rebuilt entirely in the 18th century and the building remains the jewel of Mazé.
Fountain-Milon, for its part, was a small seigniory whose castle disappeared but the locality was famous until the beginning of the 20th century for its quarries.
The new city of about 5,600 inhabitants has a zone of activity but remains rural as to its living environment. Its rich heritage and cultural vitality make it a must for anyone staying in the Loire Valley.
Montgeoffroy Castle is the landmark of the city. The building is considered a masterpiece of 18th century French architecture for the size of the setting, the majesty of the surroundings, the white facade damped by high slate roofs punctuated by pink brick chimneys.
A first castle was built in the twelfth century by Geoffroy de Chateaubriand, which was sold in the sixteenth century to the family of La Grandière. In 1676, the property was bought by Marshal Erasmes de Contades, governor of the Place de Strasbourg. He then builds, decorate and furnish in 1772 the current castle which was designed by Nicolas Barré, Parisian architect. The stones are in limestone and limestone. Note the sober lines that include the chapel and two towers of the primitive castle.
The furniture has remained period, and many paintings signed Poussin, Rigaud, Van Loo are still visible. The lounges, the dining room, the kitchen where the inventor of the foie gras pâté or the chapel officiate are essential. The park and the farm of very beautiful invoice are also visited. Open all year. Guided tours from mid-March to mid-November. Prices: 7.50 and 8.50 euros for the only castle, 11 and 12 euros for the visit of the castle and the park, 3 and 5 euros for the visit of the park and the farm. Many animations and thematic visits in season. Information on +33 2 41 80 60 02.
To see again, in Mazé, the church Saint-Pierre, whose bases date from the eleventh century and which formed a priory. It has been reworked several times (the last time in 1844). Note its bell tower with a slate spire adorned with stone pinnacles. As for the choir of the twelfth century, it is lit by a triple stained glass installed in 1844.
To include also in a discovery of the built heritage of Mazé, the "open attics", which were initially a legless in the fifteenth century. The whole was transformed into a hotel-god in the 17th century. Became public hospital after the Revolution, there is still a chapel Gothic style of the seventeenth century, called Montgeoffroy.
The former presbytery (eighteenth), bought by the town, the imposing town hall erected in 1864, the boarding school Saint-Joseph (nineteenth) with a corbelled turret or the former patronage of St. Anthony of Padua (nineteenth), now a cultural center, are also to be included in a discovery trail.
Finally, mention the old chapel Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes (nineteenth) which now houses the media library and in another register, the mill of La Roche, which dates from the early nineteenth century.
At the level of Fontaine-Milon, to note the fountain and its wash, in the center of the village, which gave it its name, and especially the manor of the Châtelet, a Renaissance castle (XVI) partially classified, reworked for its interiors in the nineteenth century by the sculptor and cabinet maker David. It is a private property that can not be visited.
As for the environmental heritage of the city, we will focus on the wetland of La Grenouillerie, located along the RD347. The site formed of channels and ponds, is protected for its ecosystem of exception. Paths marked out with explanatory panels have been laid out.
Always for a bucolic walk, we will take advantage of the Apostrophe, a pedestrian link in the shape of a garden that connects the Emile-Joulain Cultural Center to the city center. Games for children have been arranged.
For hiking or mountain biking including the main sites of the city, both historically and naturally, as well as valleys and banks (a specific path along the Authion), documentation and information +33 2 41 23 50 00 or +33 2 41 89 18 07.
On the cultural level, the multimedia library La Bulle has been the regional resource center for comics since 2012. Exhibitions and conferences are frequent. Information on +33 2 41 80 61 31.
For shows and exhibitions organized at the Emile-Joulain Cultural Center, please call +33 2 41 80 60 19.
Finally, there is a stage for BD enthusiasts at the Kawa workshop: courses, workshops, exhibitions. Contact +33 2 41 74 94 31.
For athletes, the city also has many facilities and sites.
This is the case for the multi-sports area dedicated to skateboarding, the petanque area free access, the recreational area with fitness trail (or health) on the road to Saint-Mathurin near the course of the Authion. The area also includes table tennis tables and organized fishing spots.
For a game of tennis, join the local club which has if need of courts covered +33 2 41 57 61 94.
Finally, to discover the traditional "boule de fort", local variant of petanque, contact +33 2 41 48 12 50.
During the first half of May, painting and sculpture salon.
In mid-May, over three days, Cases Departures festival, devoted to comics, the media library. On the program, meetings and workshops with authors, exhibitions, concerts.
The second weekend of June, the odd years, gathering of old cars at the castle.
In mid-September, the festival Juke-bosse program concerts of current music.
In October, each year, exhibition focused on the art of portraiture (painting or photo) in the cellars of the town hall.
Finally, to discover the riches of the soil of Anjou, go to the market on Friday and Sunday morning, place of the church in Mazé.