This old village of weavers is the smallest commune in Vendée. Installed in the cellars, the weavers lived to the rhythm of the Sèvre Nantaise.
The alleys and fountains crisscross, legends are told about the history of the medieval city on the way to Compostela.
Visit to Mallièvre, Small Town of Character
His history
Mallièvre was born from a ford on the Sèvre Nantaise that the Gauls and Romans used before building a bridge there. Its castle was one of the oldest medieval fortresses in Vendée, belonging to the Viscount of Thouars. Mallievre is a landless commune, it recovered from the Hundred Years' War, the Vendée War, and lived for 2 centuries from the craft of weaving. THE weaver works in his cellar, the canvases are bleached on the banks of the Sèvre Nantaise.
The weaver's cellar
The place of the weavers is located in the center of Mallièvre, the buildings display a perfect unity, they were built at the end of the XNUMXth century, place of the trade fairs and currently of the village festivals.
Enter the weaver's cellar, a staged and animated space, which explains how the loom works thanks to the testimony of a former weaver. “The man weaves the web, the satin, the woman and the children live above”. All the houses in the village have cellars.
The mansions
Facing Place de la Teinturerie and rue des potiers, beautiful mansions, built in the second half of the 2th century, bear witness to the wealth of textile merchants: slate roof, red brick chimneys.
Legend of the name “Mallièvre”
A legend tells that Mallièvre is the sister of two surrounding towns: “Lied against their father, a powerful count of the region, three sons wanted to take power. The eldest fought like a lion and it is Mauléon. The second took refuge on the banks of the Maine like a greyhound, it was Maulévrier. The third, fleeing through the valley, was taken like a hare, it is Mallievre. »
Place St-Gilles
In the Middle Ages, a priory was established above the Boulaie stream. The current church was built at the end of the XNUMXth century, financed by the weavers.
At the Info point, you will find digital terminals with the testimony of the inhabitants on life in Mallièvre.
The fountains
The ubiquitous water contributed to the establishment of weavers and millers.
60 springs have been counted on the hillside. In the rue du Pavé, the fountain still flows and remembers the pilgrims of Santiago de Compostela... The wash house, built on the edge of the Castle, supplies the gardens on rue du Moulin Baubry. Follow the Chemin de la Poterne and the Sèvre Nantaise, admire the gardens on the hillside and the green space of the Domaine.
Several possibilities to visit Mallièvre
The hiking trails of Mallièvre
Guided tours of the Tourist Office
Guided tour every Tuesday evening in July and August, meet at 18:15 p.m. at the Info Point in Mallièvre, Place des Tisserands. Duration 1 hour, free.
