Maure-de-Bretagne is a small town of Ille-et-Vilaine, in Brittany, about forty kilometers south-west of Rennes, and on the edge of Morbihan. The town, which has about 3,300 inhabitants, on 1 January 2017, merged with the neighboring village of Campel, 500 inhabitants, to form the new town of Val d'Anast.
Anast is also the old name of the parish that belonged since the ninth century to the abbey of Saint-Maure-sur-Loire, which gave its name to the locality.
Rich in a priory, Maure-de-Bretagne was for a long time a market town agricultural and commercial but during the second half of the twentieth century, its proximity to the city of Rennes also made a residential community offering a living environment preserved.
On the territory of Campel, the castle of Val (rebuilt in the seventeenth century), which included a priory, was inhabited by King Solomon of Brittany in the ninth century. However, the history of the village was then linked to that of Maure-de-Bretagne.
Surrounded by forests and "wetlands" forming a protected and remarkable ecosystem, Maure-de-Bretagne has a built heritage that deserves a peek.
This is the case of a remarkable sixteenth-century cross in the communal cemetery, which was inscribed on the supplementary inventory of historical monuments.
Rebuilt in the 19th century on the site of an older building, the Château du Bois au Voyer still has two 14th-century towers. Also reconstructed in the 19th century, instead of an old manor, the Château de la Lambardais has religious remains (baptismal fonts), probably from the old church of the town, dating from the 19th century. These are two private properties.
Note also at the place Compaissy, the chapel dedicated to Sainte-Reine, dating from the eighteenth, endowed with a beautiful vault of blue color. A traditional "pardon" with a procession takes place every August 15th.
In Campel, a medieval fortification in the form of an earthen enclosure, at the place called La Bigotaye, was classified: it protected a military camp during the Middle Ages.
To see also, in the center of the borough, the old manor of the Touches.
These visits can mark a hike: many routes are possible, on foot or by bicycle, which cross the preserved environment of the region: information on +33 2 99 57 03 80. The opportunity may be to walk along the pond of Livry, In Campel, which is one of the protected areas of the department in terms of fauna and flora.
More simply, one can walk on the greenway laid out for pedestrians and cyclists who take the old route of the railway between Rennes and Ploërmel.
In the territory of Maure, two communal ponds were set up for walkers (marked trails), with playgrounds and picnic. Fishing is possible: inquire +33 2 99 34 88 70.
Finally, the racecourse of Les Bruyères offers a dozen horse racing meetings every year. Classified in the first category, it is equipped with a restaurant, and some events are of national level and are open to bets. Information on +33 2 99 34 83 48.
Every first weekend of July, at the racecourse, the festival of the Old Pistons attracts a large public which admires old cars (exhibition, walks, animations).
In November, at the L'Aurore cinema, a festival of documentary film program medium and feature films with some screenings of directors.
In a different way, the market Sunday of Maure, from 8 am to 12 pm, is the opportunity to discover the riches gourmandes local terroir.
