CORSEPT

Corsept has a number of megaliths scattered around the countryside to explore on foot. Its peaceful market town boasts a beautiful rustic church with a low, slate-coloured bell tower. On foot, horseback or mountain bike, you can take the Sentier découverte de l’estuaire (estuary discovery trail) as far as Saint Brevin, the Loire cycle route, along the river, meadows and marshes. You’ll have a breathtaking view of the fisheries, Ile Saint Nicolas and the Saint Nazaire-Saint Brevin bridge. History and heritage Find out more about Corsept’s history and heritage here. The Manoir du Pasquiaud and Charles Leroux Le Pasquiaud, on the banks of the Loire in the Estuary opposite Donges, was one of the homes of the Nantes landscape painter Charles Le Roux (1814-1895). His wife Marie Euphémie Affilé received the estate in 1848 from her grandfather, a merchant in Paimboeuf. The couple entertained their painter friends here: Daubigny, Théodore Rousseau, Gustave Doré, Louis Cabat, Camille Corot (the bouquets painted on the living room walls are attributed to him), etc. Charles Le Roux had his studio in a nearby mill, the Moulin Perret. The Musée d’Orsay has a painting entitled “Prairie et marais de Corsept à l’embouchure de la Loire au mois d’Aout”, which was exhibited at the 1859 Salon. For more information: https://www.corsept.fr/patrimoine-bati-2/ Megaliths The Corsept site probably dates back to Celtic times. It is one of the Pays de Retz communes with the most megalithic monuments. Corsept is home to numerous dolmens and menhirs, located between fields and marshes, some of which are the stuff of legend. For more information: https://www.corsept.fr/patrimoine-naturel/ or here Church Corsept church is a blend of Romanesque and Gothic styles. Its main feature is a low bell tower with a slate-coloured bulb in the shape of a Latin cross. For more information: https://www.corsept.fr/patrimoine-bati-2/ Thanks to Gilles Bruyelle for his report on the Pêcheries de Corsept… On the banks of the Loire, set back from the bridge at Saint Nazaire and the port facilities at Donges, it’s possible to forget the industrial world… You’ll soon find yourself dreaming of squatting, if only for the duration of a tide, in one of the fisheries whose footbridges line the banks. © Gilles Bruyelle imagesetreportages@orange.fr – All rights reserved. Île Saint-Nicolas-des-Défunts, also presented by Gilles Bruyelle Where the Loire meets the Atlantic Ocean, between Saint-Nazaire and Corsept, lies a tiny island steeped in centuries of history. This mineral island, accessible only by boat, is located 400 m from the south bank of the river, just opposite the Donges oil and gas terminal…. This is the Île Saint-Nicolas-des-Défunts. It’s a small piece of land 54 m by 31 m… © Gilles Bruyelle imagesetreportages@orange.fr – All rights reserved.