The history

A little bit of history ….

The Marechalerie is the name of the workshop of Maréchal (farrier) Ferrand . It is the forge where he made his horseshoes, and where he looked after the horses . This workshop dates from the 18th century .

After World War II, the last owner Mr MOUNIER, having fewer and fewer horses, started to make wheelbarrows and trailers . He was the first person to have a telephone in the village . Then, after 25 years of abandon, we fell in love with this beautiful valley .

At the end of 1989, we moved into the house next door . The following year, in 1990, we bought this ruined building and renovated .
In 1992, we opened as a Bed and Breakfast of charm and character in the Loire Valley .

This was much to the delight of Mrs MOUNIER, now 89 years of age, who saw some of the youth again …

By the way, LE SENTIER was an independent village until 1822 . By royal command, the village became part of MONTHODON, 3 miles away which depended upon a different church . The angry inhabitants tried everything possible to get this changed and instead be part of LE BOULAY, 2 miles away, belonging to CHÂTEAU RENAULT, the 19th century leather capital and belonging to the same church . However, they were not successful and in an angry moment, all the inhabitants decided to change religion and become Protestants !!!
The abandoned catholic church was sold to an individual .
A small Protestant temple was built in the village and the last service was a wedding held in 1981 .

     The temple about 1900

In 1989, the village was pretty much abandoned and lots of houses were up for sale .
Today, the village is alive again .
Several young couples have arrived and children can be heard laughing and playing . In 1996, a couple of artists created an association (APRES) for the restoration of the Catholic church dating from the 12th century and now in a sorrowful state . Today, even though it still resembles a church, it is now an artists studio . Their works can even be seen on the Internet .
The Protestant temple has also been bought and renovated . It is now the home of the «Friends of the SENTIER», an association which organises several animations during the year for the young and old who live at LE SENTIER ….