Saint-Cénéri-le-Gérei, a village of 150 inhabitants, is part of the “Parc naturel régional Normandie-Maine” and is found at the centre of the natural region of the Alpes Mancelles.

The village’s reputation is due to its remarkable cultural heritage: a certain number of buildings benefit from protection as they are listed as historical monuments and several famous painters(Oudinet, Camille Corot,Gustave Courbet,Paul Sain ) have stayed there.

Church of Saint-Cénéri-le-Gérei: Inside the church, mural paintings from the 14th and 15th centuries. It is thought that the most ancient date from the 12th century. Frescoes were covered over by a layer of plaster and whitewash in 1650 and uncovered in 1856.

Statue of Saint-Cénéri : a tradition says that young girls wishing to marry should stick a needle into the saint’s garment, if their needle sticks in the stone, their wish will be granted during the year.

During the year 2002, the village of Saint-Cénéri-le-Gérei contacted the “Parc Normandie-Maine and Alençon in view of putting together a programme highlighting tourism. A certain number of projects are under way and others are to be undertaken. What is at stake is to develop specifically adapted tourism to encourage the economic development whilst preserving the quality of the site and by improving the surrounding location.

PROJECT TO HIGHLIGHT THE EXCEPTIONAL NATURE OF THE MOISY SISTERS’ INN

Rehabilitating and highlighting the exceptional nature of one of the most ancient inns called”the Moisy sisters’ inn”, situated in the heart of the village of Saint-Cénéri-le-Gérei counts amongst the largest projects to be accomplished .

A gathering place for landscape painters at the end of the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century, today listed on the supplementary list of the historical monuments, the building encloses portraits painted by the light of a candle (“silhouettes”)

As the inn is privately owned, the Parc Normandie-Maine has rented the building at the demand and for the village,with the perspective of preserving it ,a special rental agreement for a duration of 50 years has been signed. It actually means to create a museum-like centre dedicated to painting.

But the building has several problems for which it will be necessary to intervene with urgent structural repairs. In fact the Eastern façade has a twist dating from its construction of the roof timbers, which have caused a force generating an important fissure in the wall. The roof timbers need to be repaired in order to stabilise the beams .But before any work can be done , the paintings in the room of the “décapités” must be restored ,the plaster needs to be stabilised and the layers of painting restored.

LET’S BE ACTIVE IN SAVING OUR HERITAGE

These restoration works will be lead in association with the “Service Départemental de l’architecture et du Patrimoine” and the “Conservatoire des Antiquités et d’Objets d’Art”.Under the patronage of the “Fondation du Patrimoine” recognised as of public usefulness by the law of 2nd July 1996 .The Association des Amis de Saint Cénéri et de ses environs have decided to start a public subscription in favour of this heritage , witness of the rich artistic past of the village.

Thanks to your financial aid you will contribute to finance the renovation work necessary for the inn to be opened to the public.

With this aid requested from you we can start all the necessary work, rapidly and efficiently , and therefore will permit the creation of an information and explanation centre of the history of painting at Saint-Cénéri-le-Gérei and more widely over the territory of the “Parc naturel regional Normandie-Maine”

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