Cirque de Courossé et croix de Courossé

Mauges-sur-Loire (La Chapelle-Saint-Florent)

In the Mauges, between Angers and Nantes, the Èvre makes one of its finest meanders at the foot of a mica-schist wall more than sixty metres high: this is the cirque of Courossé. From the top, an avenue of trees leads to the viewpoint and to the Courossé cross, reached from the old mill by a steep Way of the Cross whose mosaic stations are the work of a local artist. A grotto on the site shelters a statue of the Virgin, and Anjou Tourisme notes that garden varieties were introduced when the place was laid out for pilgrims. The cirque is also a page of the Vendée wars: close by, at the Château de la Baronnière, insurgents from La Chapelle-Saint-Florent came in March 1793 to ask General de Bonchamps to lead them, and the remains of Republican soldiers may still lie on the site. A local belief, reported by a walking leaflet, holds that the red of the famous Cholet handkerchiefs comes from the blood of the fighters. In the heart of the meander, the « Pope's Farm » owes its name to its former owner's gift of it to Pope Leo XIII at the end of the 19th century. Below lie an old millers' village, the Courossé mill with its footbridge and a causeway across the river. The south-facing rocks carry a flora of Mediterranean origin (stonecrops, orchids, rock ferns, wild garlic) and many insects. The site, listed by decree of 11 December 1995 and a Sensitive Natural Area of Anjou, is private property open to the public. The origin and date of the grotto and the cross are not given in the sources consulted.

Getting there: Delegated commune of La Chapelle-Saint-Florent (Mauges-sur-Loire), about 5 km from the Loire. Private site open to the public, free access. From the car park, the avenue of the Château de la Baronnière quickly leads to the viewpoint; the « Découverte du site de Courossé » walk is 2 km (45 min, easy) with seven information boards and a picnic area. Longer loop « L'Èvre au site de Courossé »: 6.85 km, 2 h 15, starting from the Gévrisse area (Saint-Pierre-Montlimart). Steep Way of the Cross; footbridge and causeway can be submerged in flood. Coordinates: Anjou Tourisme record of the cirque.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound