La Mare Périlleuse

Au cœur du Domaine de la Salle à Féricy trône un érable sycomore (Acer pseudoplatanus) exceptionnel classé "arbre remarquable de Seine-et-Marne".Source CAUE77.

The Domaine de la Salle, in Féricy, brings together a manor house, several buildings, a 9 hectare plot of land and magnificent trees in the park open to the public.The history of the Domaine de la Salle is closely linked to that of the village of Féricy. The history of the Domain begins around 50 BC with the occupation of the Domain by its first owner Fericius or Fericiacus, who is said to have given his name to the village. Around 481, the Domain became the prerogative of the Frankish Kings and was entrusted to a vassal, taking the name of Domaine de la Salle. Pépin le Bref then gave the Domain to the Abbey of Saint-Denis, a donation confirmed in 775 by his son Charlemagne. In 1380, the Domain was sold to the Sainte-Chapelle by Pierre Despoix and Isabelle d'Auxy, his wife. In 1532, by the wish of the Canon of the Chapel, Jehan Parent, it became a parish church. In 1791, Regnaud sold the Domain to Louis Marie Pomponne Pinson de Ménerville, the king’s counsellor. The latter, having emigrated to Brussels during the Terror, returned to France in 1799 and then acquired the presbytery adjoining the church in 1835 and incorporated it into the outbuildings' courtyard. It is to him that we owe the current appearance of the Domaine de la Salle. In 1838 he built the current mansion, a "neo-classical manor" type with 4 levels. Neglected, fallen into abandonment, the Domaine de la Salle could have ended up in ruins, but that was without counting on the determination of the municipality, which acquired the property in 2006 following the death, without an heir of the last owner, and the dedication of the many volunteers who work to bring it back to life. Despite a fire in 2012 that destroyed part of the Manor House, little by little the site is being restored, it is the subject of numerous projects and already hosts a variety of events. The Domaine de la Salle incorporates many heritage and landscape elements : a manor house commonly known as "le château", outbuildings, a pond, a washhouse, the famous Saint-Osmanne spring and a vast tree-filled park. Walkers are invited to discover the variety of fauna and flora throughout the seasons, while respecting the surroundings. Among the spectacular trees, one can note a cedar and a cypress that punctuate the large meadow, a Japanese pagoda tree, a grey poplar, a Virginia tulip tree, a giant sequoia, pedunculate oaks, hornbeams and a sycamore maple (listed as a "remarkable tree of Seine-et-Marne"). Along and to the north of the canal, one can identify a copper beech, bald cypresses, a honey locust, and Italian poplars.

L’église Saint-Osmanne à Féricy doit sa réputation acquise au fil du temps à la réception en 1405 des reliques de sainte Osmanne, princesse irlandaise du 7e siècle à qui on confère des pouvoirs de guérison et de recours dans l’enfantement.La présence d’une source aux vertus miraculeuses pour la fertilité ainsi que la proximité de la Cour de Fontainebleau suscitèrent de multiples pèlerinages et l’intervention de bienfaiteurs qui enrichirent l’édifice. Les reines Marie-Thérèse d’Autriche et Anne d’Autriche vinrent y prier au 17e siècle dans l’espoir d’enfanter ; d'ailleurs cette dernière offrit un tabernacle orné de bas reliefs en bois doré pour remercier la sainte. L’église Sainte-Osmanne, classée aux Monuments Historiques en 1930, fut bâtie au 12e siècle, probablement à la place d’une église plus ancienne ou d’un temple romain détruit aux alentours du 8e siècle. La nef conserve le style épuré caractéristique de l’usage des premières voûtes à croisée d’ogives du gothique dit "primitif", du 12e siècle. Les chapelles latérales formant l’unique bas-côté de l’église furent construites entre le 12e et le 16e siècles. Les extensions du 16e siècle donnent à l’église son plan en croix latine par la construction de son transept saillant, du chœur, et du porche d’entrée. L’église fut pillée par les Huguenots au 16e siècle mais subsiste néanmoins un mobilier ancien, en particulier un bénitier en pierre du 12e siècle remarquable avec ses sept figures humaines sculptées. L’église est aussi réputée pour ses vitraux daté de 1534. Un pan de vitrail a été exposé au musée de Louvres. L'église abrite de nombreux objets protégés au titre des Monuments Historiques : verrières, statues, autel, bénitier...

It was in 1637 that Anne of Austria, wife of Louis XIII drank the water of the Sainte-Osmanne spring in Féricy, she gave birth 9 months later to the future Louis XIV… Since then, fertility properties have been attributed to it.Located in the courtyard of the Domaine de la Salle, this spring once offered free access to pilgrims. A right of way existed on one hand for the cure and on the other hand for the fief of la Salle. The spring attested during the Gallo-Roman era, was dedicated to the cult of a local deity, that is to say, emblematic of the place. In the 16th century, the source acquired significant notoriety : dedicated to Sainte-Osmanne whose relics had been deposited at the church of Féricy, the spring was renowned for its miraculous powers of healing and childbirth... The pilgrimages to the spring then multiplied. The most famous visit was the one of a disciple of Anne of Austria, Queen of France for 22 years without having given a son to King Louis XIII : he came to seek for her a vial of water from the miraculous spring. It is said that the birth of Louis XIV was due to the miraculous properties of the Sainte-Osmanne spring…

The "little house by the Seine", dear to the heart of the "impressionist" poet, has become a museum run by the Department. In 1874, Stéphane Mallarmé moved in right next door to the bridge of Valvins for regular visits.From 1874 to his death , in 1898 , Stephane Mallarmé loved to stay in this old auberge that became his house, facing the Seine and the forest of Fontainebleau. Today , the museum dedicated to him has restored the charm of the summer house, through the furniture and property of the poet, his library and the works of his sculpting and painting friends. The beautiful garden where Mallarmé loved to care for his flowers, more than he cared for his own appearance, contribute to the memorial site. In the ground-floor rooms, temporary exhibitions complete the evocation of the exceptional writer who played a starring role in the intellectual and artistic life of his times. The museum is a faithful replica of the artist’s world, the small Japanese "cabinet" and bedrooms. It is decorated with objects dear to the poet like the Saxe clock that appears in the “frissons d’hiver”, smaller laqueur boxes, the fans, English books, Edgar Allen Poe’s translations or his famous pipes. Permanent visits to see the life of the artist and the garden that has been maintained with the charm of yesteryear.