Discover Laives: Lakes, the Romanesque Circuit and Sacred Architecture

Laives offers several points of interest to help you choose a destination: the lakes of La Ferté, the signposted Romanesque Circuit and sacred buildings with Romanesque and Gothic features. If you are looking for hotels in Laives, you can start by considering whether water, a route, or art and architectural history is especially important to your trip. The lakes have different uses; for the Romanesque Circuit, the route, starting point and information boards are specified. The sacred buildings each have their own focus in art and architectural history.

Three Lakes with Different Uses

The site of the lakes of La Ferté in Laives comprises three separate lakes. One is designated for swimming and fishing; the other two may be used for fishing only. Fishing is therefore possible at all three lakes, while swimming is restricted to the designated lake.

Swimming is supervised from June to August, initially mainly on weekends and daily in July and August. If you are coming to swim, check the supervision times before your visit. Private tourism operators at the site also offer pedal boats, stand-up paddleboarding and kayaks. When planning your visit, it is helpful to distinguish between use of the lakes and activities offered by private operators.

The Romanesque Circuit: Route and Wayfinding

The Romanesque Circuit is signposted, 6.5 km long and rated easy; the elevation gain is 80 m. The length, rating and elevation gain describe different features of the route and provide separate points of reference when choosing a walk. The start and finish are at the village’s main car park in Laives, in front of the school and the former town hall. Along the Romanesque Circuit, two information boards explain the panorama across the Chalonnais, the Bresse and the Jura. Check the local signs and route conditions before setting out.

Frescoes, Portal and Building History

The Chapelle Lenoux was built in 1484 by Jean Geliot, a priest from Touches who was originally from Laives. The chapel contains polychrome frescoes depicting the Mass of Saint Gregory and the donor. Saint Fiacre survives above the original portal, which is decorated with Flamboyant Gothic sculptures. The frescoes and portal offer distinct artistic features, drawing attention both to the subjects depicted and to the portal’s design.

The Eglise Romane de Saint-Martin-de-Laives was built in the early 11th century by Benedictine monks from Saint-Pierre de Chalon-sur-Saône. It was originally purely Romanesque; two Gothic chapels were added in the 15th and 16th centuries. This sequence distinguishes the Romanesque foundation from the later Gothic additions. The church thus reveals two distinct building phases, while the Chapelle Lenoux offers its own historical and artistic details, including its construction in 1484, its frescoes and its portal.

Discover more destinations: Bourgvilain, Volesvres, Martailly-Lès-Brancion, Cuiseaux, Marcigny, Le Tartre, Bourg-le-Comte, Tintry

For the broader travel overview: Saône-Et-Loire.