Come and get to know Dame-Marie-les-Bois, a charming village of 340 inhabitants. The origin of Dame-Marie-les-Bois goes back to the clearing of the vast forest of Blémars, in the 11th and 12th centuries, which marked the border between the Touraine and Blésois. An oratory was created, dedicated to Our Lady, thanks to the clearers of the forest. “Villa Domna Maria” appears for the first time in 1059 in a charter of the Count of Blois, Thibaut III.
Built in 1902, this washhouse is composed of a shelter and a floor adjustable by winches to facilitate the task of washing by raising and lowering the floor according to the water level. This washhouse was used until the 1970s.
Judged as an impassable forest, existing on a great part of the current Gâtine Tourangelle, the forest of Blémars is the work of a big clearing in the 11th and 12th centuries by the monks of the Abbey of Marmoutier. The commune of Dame-Marie-les-Bois was established at that time, as the creation of the church attests. Today, most of this remaining forest is part of the forest of Blois.
This hunting lodge was built in 1879 by Augusta de Frémeur, eldest daughter of Auguste Héry de Maupas, lord of La Guérinière.
This magnificent building, with its tufa facade, has housed the school since the middle of the 19th century. The Maupas family offered the land in 1844, to build a building that would house the teacher’s apartment, the classroom, and the town hall. Today the town hall is located a few houses away from the school.
The church as you see it today is the result of constructions and alterations from the 11th to the 19th century. The oldest part of the building is the half of the nave on the side of the choir and dates from the 11th century. The most important modifications took place in the middle of the 19th century. The inscription “1848” on the Romanesque facade of the church, the date of the works, can be noticed.
This community well dates back to the Revolution. For a very long time, it was the only place where the population could get water, until the creation of a wash-house. Today, although it is no longer in use, it has recently been restored to its original state thanks to engravings and photos.
Dame-Marie-les-Bois Town Hall
6 rue de Blémars, 37110 Dame-Marie-les-Bois
02 47 29 55 12
contact@mairiedamemarielesbois.fr
www.damemarielesbois.fr
Esplanade des Droits de l’Homme
37110 Château-Renault
02 46 990 990
2022 © The Tourist Office of Castelrenaudais – Sitemap – Confidentiality Policy – Legal Notice
– Site created and hosted by Idéo Point Com
