A-Z of the Communes in the Deux-Sèvres
by Sue Burgess
A voir / Must see
Belvédère des Rouleaux Photo: www.mazieres-en-gatine.fr
MAZIÈRES-EN-GÂTINE
T
he inhabitants of Mazières are the Mazièrois and the Mazièroises. The Gâtine vendéenne is an area of granite valleys and wooded countryside on the south eastern side of the Armorican uplands. The word « gâtine » means « terre gâtée » (spoiled land), that is to say « mauvaise terre » (bad land). Mazières-en-Gâtine is situated at the south of the Gâtine, at the gateway to the Plaine (Plains) in Niort and Saint-Maixent l’Ecole area, 25 km north of Niort, and 15 km south of Parthenay. Mazières-en-Gâtine was originally an ancient Gallic then GalloRoman village. It was ransacked during the barbarian invasions. In the Middle Ages the Sires of Mazières were the Vassals of the Lords of Verruyes, who themselves depended on the Lords of Parthenay. In the Renaissance period, Mazières-en-Gâtine depended on the counts of Breuillac. The latter built the Château du Petit-Chêne. The commune was set on fire during the Vendée wars. For a long time isolated, overpopulated and poor (the land is covered with gorse and heather which makes farming difficult), the commune began its economic rise in the second part of the 19th century because of the roads joining Niort, Parthenay and Saint-Maixent. A local legend says that the ‘Chemin des Chaussée’, the remains of a Roman road joining Périgueux and Limoges to Nantes and crossing the Gâtine, is a natural barricade for storms. Mazières can be found on a map in the collection of maps of the Abbey of Saint-Maixent dated between 1040 and 1060. In this document Mazières is written Macérias, which means «ruin» in Latin. The spelling “Mazières” is found in 1093 in the same series of maps. There is the idea of a village since the church is mentioned. The church belonged to the Abbey of Saint Maixent. Mazières is not very big nor very well-known. However, it is the home of several well-known people: • Léopold Goirand was born in Melle. He was a local councillor and then an MP. In 1894 he proposed a white paper which aimed to ensure that married women could benefit from their salaries. He became a senator in 1906. In 1907 he became Mayor of Paris (first arrondissement), and spent his time between Paris and Mazières where he owned the Château of the Petit Chêne which he had bought in 1890. • René Verriet de Litardière (1888 – 1957) was born in Mazières-en-Gâtine on 24 June 1888. He became a botanist and is renowned for his work on grasses and ferns. • Roger Thabault (1895 – 1979). Roger was born in Mazièresen-Gâtine. His father changed his career and from clog making, became a grain merchant. Roger went into teaching and then became a Teacher Trainer and School Inspector. From 1945 – 1955 he was School Inspector in Morocco. On his return to France he became general inspector for the Ministry of Education. He wrote a lot of school textbooks, reports and studies. Mazières’ secondary school is named after him.
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• Saint Barnabé Church Saint Barnabé church was built at the beginning of the 12th century and then enlarged during the 19th century. The only remaining Romanesque feature is the apse. On the walls inside the church, there is a well preserved 17th century «litre funéraire» (painted funeral ribbon) and 2 polychrome wooden statues. The stained glass windows of the nave and the transept date from the end of the 19th century and were made by the Guérithault brothers, two local craftsmen.
Photo: Louise Morgan
The interior of the church was renovated in the sixties and the outside stonework has recently been cleaned and renovated. The church is open for visits every day except when there is a service in progress. Although technically speaking on the commune of Saint Marc la Lande, the private gardens of la Ménardière (which belongs to the old people’s home) is the meeting place for the Mazièrois. The château, which houses the old people’s home, had the particularity of getting its water supply using a hydraulic ram. This machine was invented by Montgolfier in 1796 to lift water above the height of the water fall. It was built and fitted in 1877 and brought the water into a cistern fitted in the attics of the Château. It could propel water a distance of 170m – from the ram to the Château – and raise the water by 23.3m. • The Town Wash-house Mazières has several different wash-houses which you can discover by following the walk known as the Rand’eau. This signposted ramble starts in front of the Town Hall. It is 4km long and takes about 1h30. The town’s website www.mazieres-en-gatine.fr proposes two other pleasant walks, one to the North of the bourg and one to the South. The details of the three walks and maps can be found and downloaded from the website. • Belvédère des Rouleaux From this viewpoint (photo, top of page) you can see the Kléber Moreau quarry. The viewpoint has been fitted out on a hillock at a height of 210m. The diorite is a quality blue stone used today for the high speed train line from Paris to Bordeaux. An information panel at the viewpoint explains how the stone is extracted and takes you through the different stages of production. • The Petit Chêne golf course At the golf course there is an 18 hole course par 72 – 6021m, a 6 hole Pitch & Putt par 18 – 400m, and a practice range with 30 stations, twelve of which are covered. The golf course surrounds the Château du Petit Chêne and is situated 3km from the village as you go out of Mazières towards Niort.
More A-Z of the Communes of Deux-Sèvres next month...