Do you want to visit the medieval town of Sainte-Suzanne? Located in Mayenne, it is called "Beautiful and Rebellious", labeled as one of the Most Beautiful Villages of France®, Sainte-Suzanne has plenty to charm you!
How to visit the city of character?
If you're feeling adventurous, let your curiosity guide you through the city's cobbled streets. However, Sainte-Suzanne is full of small historical treasures hidden here and there. That's why we highly recommend choosing one of the options below to explore it.
- With the discovery trail free and available at the Tourist Office
- With your smartphone by following the road trip below.
- With an Audio Guide, free (in French, English, German) to be collected in the castle at the CIAP: Center for the Interpretation of Architecture and Heritage.
- With a guide (by reservation for groupss) and some dates in the year (see the agenda)
Road trip to discover the medieval town of Sainte-Suzanne!
Let's go! Follow the steps below to learn all about the village of Sainte-Suzanne. Allow approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour for your visit . Perhaps longer if you like taking photos on every street corner 😄.
Memorial
Your visit to Sainte-Suzanne begins at the bottom of Rue Henri IV, near the War Memorial. Note the two cannons used by the Germans to fire on Sainte-Suzanne during the Liberation battles in early August 1944. The current entrance to the town was created in the ramparts in the 19th century. Continue your leisurely walk up Rue Henri IV.
The Manor of Butte-Verte
Up the street, in the Butte-Verte manor house at the corner of Rue Jean de Bueil, you'll find the Sainte-Suzanne Les Coëvrons Tourist Office. Come visit us to pick up a map of the town and the Promenade des Moulins, and to get more information on the must-see places in Sainte-Suzanne.
The old town hall
Continue towards Place Hubert II de Beaumont. You can admire the old town hall that stands in the middle of it. This building, built in 1884, is now closed to the public after 133 years of loyal municipal service.
The hall
Further on, in the middle of the square, the cobblestones mark the location of the old market hall which also housed the Court of Justice, destroyed at the end of the 19th century to build the town hall.
Small alleys and the old manor
Turn right onto Rue de la Belle Etoile, then left onto Rue du Four. You can enjoy the view of the towers of the old manor and the castle.
The Castle and its dungeon
As you leave Rue du Four, admire the 11th-century quadrangular keep , protected by round towers equipped with arrow slits (flour tower, powder tower, etc.). Access was formerly via the drawbridge , visible on the right. Enter the castle grounds. Visit the keep and the Renaissance residence, which houses the CIAP (Center for the Interpretation of Architecture and Heritage), headquarters of the Coëvrons-Mayenne Region of Art and History.
The Church of Sainte-Suzanne
Leaving the castle, turn right onto Rue Fouquet de la Varenne and return to the square. On the right, the church, remodeled in 1884, features a Renaissance portal. It houses several remarkable statues from the 14th, 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries, including those of Saint John the Baptist and Saint Susanna, patron saint of engaged couples.
The Carterie Alley
Leaving the church, take the first street on your right, towards the Carterie alley . You will arrive at the former 18th-century presbytery (private building and courtyard). The tall, stone-clad tower is a former water tower built in the 1930s and now disused. Continue to number 4, Grande Rue, and observe the large window of the building. It was designed to provide light for the playing card maker , the cartier.
The City Museum
Founded in 1973 by the association “Les Amis de Sainte-Suzanne” (Friends of Sainte-Suzanne), the museum was conceived, transformed, and furnished by dedicated volunteers from the village, all passionate about sharing the town's rich history. It is now a municipal museum. The museum will reopen in spring 2027. Inside, you will find a permanent exhibition that traces nearly 3,000 years of history of the medieval town of Sainte-Suzanne and the surrounding area. Continue down the main street.
The Wicket Gate
On the right, you can see the old Gatehouse . In the Middle Ages, traffic flow within the city was very different from today. To enter this medieval city, one had to pass through the Gatehouse to the north, or through the old walled gate to the south, which was destroyed during the French Revolution. In front of this gate to the north of the city stood a drawbridge defended by its tower, and later by a ravelin (artillery platform).
If you look closely you can see a cannonball embedded in the wall , indicating that the City was taken by artillery.
Viewpoint over the Coëvrons hills
Walk up the main street and turn right onto Rue Jean de Bueil. Continue uphill to the porch of the Manoir de la Butte-Verte (16th-18th centuries). Pass under it and admire the view from the far end of the Butte-Verte park, to the right after the town hall, with an unobstructed view of the Coëvrons hills.
The ramparts and the west tower
Go back through the archway and turn right. Straight ahead, walk down Rue du Grenier à Sel between the restaurant and the soap factory. Just past the soap factory, turn right onto Impasse John-Ferramen and take the road to the ramparts. Climb the west tower to admire the view of the castle and the medieval town.
The salt attic
This former salt storehouse dates back to 1725 and has retained its three-locked door. Its unusual feature is that it can only be opened if all three locks are simultaneously unlocked . The three most important citizens of the town, each holding a different key, had to be present to enter the building. All the inhabitants of Sainte-Suzanne and the 25 surrounding parishes were required to collect their salt supplies here and had to pay a tax called the gabelle . In Sainte-Suzanne, the gabelle was a very high tax compared to other regions, such as Brittany, which was exempt. This tax was thus considered unfair locally, and salt smugglers, known as "faux sauniers" (false salt smugglers), flourished. The salt storehouse was looted by the local population in 1790.
Watchtower
In the Middle Ages, the current entrance, known as the "walled gate," equipped with a drawbridge, was used to enter and exit the southern part of the medieval city. It was walled up and then destroyed after the French Revolution. Right next to it, the square-based Watchtower housed the Guard and watchmen. A sundial, now gone, later adorned its façade.
Promenade of the Poterne
Take the gatehouse walk and admire the view of the Hameau de la Rivière below . In the Middle Ages, there were about twenty mills spread over approximately 2 km along the Erve River. A wide variety of mills existed then: grain mills (for wheat or barley), paper mills (the most numerous), fulling mills (for processing woolen cloth), tanneries (for crushing oak bark for use in tanneries), oil mills (for crushing hemp seeds), and tobacco mills, all contributing to a thriving economy. Today, only the Grand Moulin, which produces paper using methods employed from the 16th to the 19th centuries, is open to visitors. The other mills have been gradually destroyed or converted into homes. Some owners have restored their waterwheels, adding to the charm of the mill walk.
The iron gate
Passing through the castle's living quarters, you arrive at the Iron Gate, once protected by a portcullis. The Iron Gate allowed entry to and exit from the fortress without using the drawbridge. In the event of an enemy attack, the villagers usually took refuge within the castle walls. If the attackers managed to destroy the main entrance to the drawbridge and prevent the inhabitants from reaching the castle grounds, they could escape through this Iron Gate as a last resort . Just to your left, note that the wall has an acute angle, giving the castle fortifications a triangular appearance. This is not accidental, as the promontory of Tertre Ganne rises directly opposite . To protect themselves from potential invaders, this triangular shape allowed the guards to see the entire valley from the tip of the fortifications and avoid being caught off guard.
The Iron Gate was designed so that the besieged would not have sufficient recoil to break down the gate with a battering ram.
The medieval garden
Walk back down the Chemin de la Herse towards the medieval garden . It is located on the northern slopes of the Cité, between the Promenade de la Poterne and the Chemin de la Mule Blanche, which leads to the Grand Moulin. Created in 2010 by the Médiéville53 association, it is maintained by the Friends of Sainte-Suzanne. You are welcome to visit freely and admire the vegetables, flowers, and various aromatic plants used for centuries in culinary recipes.
Where to eat in Sainte-Suzanne?
Restaurant
Restaurant
