This commune covers an area of 17.50km² and has around 450 inhabitants who are known as ‘Mesnillois’. It is located just over 25 minutes south-east of Troyes. Reached via the D43 or the D619, it is about 20 minutes from junction 21 (Saint-Thibault) of the A5 from Paris.
It has been awarded the Blue Flag for the exemplary quality of its environment. Its marina and hotels – which have direct access to the beaches of the Lac d’Orient – welcome tourists and offer various activities including water sports as well as basketball, handball and tennis.
It has also been awarded three flowers by the Villes et Villages Fleuris organisation in recognition of the quality of life in Mesnil-Saint-Père. In addition, since the complete change in environment created by the construction of the lake in 1966, many renovations have been undertaken, especially of the timber-framed houses.
The Mairie is on the D43, and sets an example with its pink and grey façade that shows off the structure of the building. Footpaths and cycle tracks make it easy to get around the village and enjoy the exceptional countryside offered by this commune of the Forêt d’Orient Regional Nature Park.
The church of Saint-André in Rue de la Mission, a few metres from the Mairie, is testimony to life in Mesnil-Saint-Père in the 12th century. Altered during the 17th and 18th centuries, it is now closed for safety reasons, but it is still possible to admire it from outside. It has been listed as an historic monument since 1982.
Near the church, an obelisk decorated with the Gallic cockerel and the Croix de Guerre medal commemorates the victims of the First World War. A second war memorial is located just outside the village in the Impasse des Martyrs, off the D43 towards Troyes. It commemorates the 28 August 1944 and the 24 Mesnilois executed as the village was liberated.
A woman stands on the monument mourning these deaths. She represents the widow, the mother, and all the women who lost these men. The sculptor is unknown, but clearly knew how to express the emotion of this tragic event through the sober and severe treatment of her clothing and the softness of her contemplative pose.
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