The village of Buzon and its calvary

Buzon is a small, isolated village in the heart of the Rouans marshes, an ideal place to relax and unwind for a break or a picnic.

In all simplicity, this little village of character reveals its unique charm. Surrounded by small stone houses and an old calvary, you can relax on the banks of the Vielle Blanche river. Watch the movement of the reeds, the small boats parked on the banks, the birds flying over the marshy landscape in complete tranquillity, as you sit on a picnic table in the shade of the tall trees.

A little history

In the 12th century, the land at Buzon belonged to the monks of Buzay Abbey, which was undergoing a period of economic expansion. The monks had succeeded in developing the slopes of the Blanche into a working estate. Surrounded by a large network of small waterways, the port of Buzon was the ideal starting point for transporting goods to the surrounding towns and villages. In the past, Buzon was used as a "barn" (granary). It was not a building as we know it today, but rather an agricultural area rich in cereals.

The construction of the Canal de Buzay, and then the Basse Loire maritime canal in the 1880s, meant that the port of Buzon was no longer used and gradually declined.

The village of Buzon is elliptical in shape. It gradually developed alongside the Tenu and its tributary, the Vielle Blanche.
It comprises around twenty houses and their outbuildings. It once had a mill.

Not far from there, the Buzon bridge links Rouans to Cheix-en-Retz.


The Calvary at Buzon

This monument goes back a long way. Some believe it was built by the monks of Buzay Abbey. Other sources mention it during the French Revolution as the site of a macabre remembrance.
They mention "four hundred old men, women and children" who were massacred in February 1794 not far from this calvary during the Vendée wars in the neighbouring village. Other sources mention "thirty-four" people.
It was first restored during the First Empire and again in 1975.


The little extras: