Beausse is a small, elevated village in the Mauges, where the fields of western Anjou fold into hedged lanes and shallow stream valleys. The delegated commune covers 536 hectares and rises from 83 to 156 metres. INSEE gives it 407 municipal residents for 2023; that is the population municipale of Beausse itself, not the population of the much larger new commune of Mauges-sur-Loire. Since 15 December 2015 Beausse has been one of that commune’s delegated localities. Its agricultural character remains the clearest guide to the landscape: the municipal presentation describes bocage, mixed farming and livestock, while the regional heritage inventory traces farming and animal husbandry in the parish records centuries earlier.
The village is compact enough to explore on foot. Its parish church, Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur, stands at the heart of the settlement. The dedication and parish institution are documented in papal records of the 12th century, including references from 1146 and 1186; the present building is much later, reconstructed in stages between 1843 and 1850. The Latin-cross plan, schist walls, pale tuffeau details and slate-topped bell tower make it a landmark without overwhelming the modest square. Nearby, the small Notre-Dame du Sacré-Cœur chapel is better known as the Croix-Malo. A cross on this spot appears on the 1827 cadastral plan, followed by a wooden oratory and then the stone chapel, blessed in 1880 and restored in 1967–68. Local tradition says Saint Malo rested here on a journey from Brittany; the inventory identifies that story as a legend, not a documented visit.
Beausse’s working history also includes farmsteads and small-scale craft. A 1485 record lists rents from grain, oats, capons and sheep. In the 20th century agriculture remained central, and a shoe-making workshop that operated as an annex to a larger factory closed in 1959. Today visitors find practical village services rather than a resort strip: the delegated mairie, a public library by the church and the Bélisa community hall. The municipal page also lists Nature et Folies restaurant; check its current opening times before setting out. The local food calendar includes Festi’Rillauds and pâté aux prunes, traditionally held in early July, but dates and programs change.
For a short outing, the municipality lists a 5.5-kilometre walking circuit with a viewpoint toward the Loire valley. Beausse is also a useful starting point for the neighboring Mauges villages: local roads connect it with La Pommeraye, Botz-en-Mauges, Le Mesnil-en-Vallée and Saint-Florent-le-Vieil. The small streams and surviving hedgerows give the walks their rural character; use the current route directions, check conditions and confirm opening hours for services before travel.
