Heritage walk in Perreuse

Park in the car park opposite the town hall. This is not easy to find: when arriving in Perreuse from Treigny (D66), drive through the village to find Rue de la Chaume on the right. The car park is on this street, opposite the town hall.

(S/E) Return to the village’s main street, Grande Rue, and turn left.

(1) Ignore Rue des Crôts on your right (the return route) at the Sully lime tree. Shortly afterwards, you’ll reach a crossroads (well) with the Church of Saint-Mammès (mural) on your right.

(2) Leaving the church, return to the junction (Maison du Bailli on the right behind the well) and continue straight ahead along Rue des Andrieux (Maison Tour). Walk to the end of the street (the house known as the Maison d’Edmée Landré), and follow the bend to the right where the street becomes Rue de la Pommeraie. Return to the Grande Rue (Maison de Justice on the left, and a few metres further on the right, the Maison de Nicolas d’Anjou Mézières), and turn left.

(3) At the junction, turn left onto Rue des Faubourgs du Bas. Take the path on the right signposted “la Marlée, 17th-century wash house”. Walk to the beautiful wash house with a basin, nestled in the fields.

(4) Return to the village, at the junction with Grande Rue, by following the route back in the opposite direction.

(3) Continue straight on, ignoring the Chemin du Paradis on the left.

(5) Turn left onto the C8, still on Rue des Faubourgs du Bas, and head to the Fontaine Saint-Mammès. Return to the crossroads via the same route.

(5) Continue straight ahead onto Rue des Crôts. You will rejoin the Grande Rue at the lime tree.

(1) Return to the car park (S/E) by following the route in reverse. You can continue to the end of the street along the avenue lined with lime trees before returning to collect your vehicle.

Very easy walk; good walking shoes are recommended on the path to the wash house.

Photo album here

Orientation board on the Route de Lainsecq, turning left at (5) on the way back from the fountain, but the return journey is too long to be pleasant on foot. Go there by car after the walk.

Taken from the tourist office leaflet:

Perreuse is the highest point in the landscape at 275 m; the village overlooks the three valleys of the Loing, the Vrille and the Nohain. The birthplace of St Mamert in the 6th century, the village flourished thanks to its Roman heritage: the vineyards. From the 12th century onwards, the Barons of Toucy and later of Donzy conquered the territory; the young medieval town was then protected by a fortified wall above the moats. Thus, in Perreuse, protected within its walls, beautiful residences were built along the Grande Rue, opening at each end through two fortified gates. During the Renaissance, in 1450, the medieval town of Perreuse became a powerful barony with vast estates extending beyond the Puisaye Forterre region, into the Nivernais and Auxerrois areas. In the centre of the village stands the beautifully crafted Romanesque church, now hidden behind its 19th-century spire. Although attacked and its fortifications and castle destroyed by Huguenot troops in 1587, Perreuse retained its political power until the French Revolution in 1789.

The Church
Built in the 11th century in the Cistercian style, the Romanesque structure is visible inside. The three naves lead to three altars set against a flat chevet; the choir has a single bay, with bundles of ribs springing from the columns to support the vaults. The oldest part is the sanctuary. After the Huguenot attack in 1587, the damaged church was in danger of collapsing. When the Grande Mademoiselle arrived in Puisaye in 1643, she had the church restored and installed a central Baroque altar decorated with a fresco depicting the Annunciation and surmounted by three statues representing St Vincent, a Virgin and Child, and St Catherine. The poor condition of the building led to the reconstruction of the bell tower at the end of the 19th century, which obscured the medieval structure. In 2020, a restoration project involving five stained-glass windows and the creation of six new ones took place with the participation of the Fondation du Patrimoine, local residents and the municipality.

The Bailiff’s House or the Seigneurial House of Perreuse
The house dates from the mid-15th century. It is built on vaulted cellars and a vaulted ground floor to achieve a remarkable building height. It is constructed entirely of stone and lime, whereas in the late Middle Ages upper floors were often half-timbered. The ogival entrance door, framed by crossed toruses, opens onto a Gothic spiral staircase decorated with pinnacles. Originally the Maison du Bailli, in the 17th century it became the residence of the Grande Mademoiselle, Baroness of Perreuse and Countess of St-Fargeau. She had a large apartment fitted out on the first floor.

The House of Nicolao d’Anjou Mézières
The members of this noble family were lords of Puisaye from 1504 to 1566. Only the entrance door, featuring crossed round toruses resting on small column bases and surmounted by a coat of arms on the façade, indicates the age of the house. Built in the 15th century, the house’s façades and roof structure were altered in the 19th century. The interior, however, is well preserved. A truncated tower contains a wide stone spiral staircase leading to the upper floor. Each large square room has a fireplace, one of which bears the coat of arms of Anjou Mézières.

The House of Justice
Dating from the 16th century, it is situated at the upper entrance to Perreuse, also known as the ‘house of justice’ or ‘court’. This was where market transactions took place, and it was likely a guard room at the entrance to the fortified village. The façade features mullioned windows and transom windows; the building was extensively altered in the 20th century but retains a tower within its interior that forms part of the fortifications.

The House known as Edmée Landré’s
A curious, composite façade that catches the eye. The pediment bears an inscription in Old French and Latin: ‘A bien faire rien craindre. Assez va qui fortune passe’. The arched, aligned loggias remain visible. A non-authentic coat of arms and a gargoyle made from reused stone suggest this is likely the conversion of a beehive wall from the late 17th century, based on an older building. Each opening probably housed a straw beehive.

The Maison Tour
This Renaissance-era house features façades adorned with inscriptions carved into the stone in Old French, Latin and Greek, bearing the date 1573. It is equipped with a defensive system featuring a bretèche protecting the entrance door, as well as a spiral staircase whose curve becomes gentler as it ascends towards the private floors. The steep pitch of this roof stands out in the landscape as it is the highest in Perreuse, at the same level as the church spire.