CALENDAR
Illustration: The wooded countryside around the village of Saint-Ouen le Brisoult. Photo N. Buchoud for SOLB61
Concerts, convivial meals, restoration work on listed heritage sites, meetings, unique exhibitions, masses and celebrations...
Find below the calendar of the association's activities for 2025. Are you interested? Come join us by becoming a member of the association (10€/year), by making a donation (any amount), or by simply coming to participate in one of the events proposed below.
We are open to people from all walks of life, believers and non-believers, lovers of classical music, tapestry, pastries as well as masonry experts.
Please do not hesitate to write to us if you do not find all the information you need on this page.
February 1, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. I Town Hall of St Ouen le Brisoult
Annual General Meeting
Join us for the association's annual general meeting: presentation of activities and financial results, discussions on projects for 2025 and priorities for the coming years... It's also a friendly moment.
This year we will welcome Marie-José Michel, president of the association of open churches in France, and Servanne Desmoulin, vice-president.
We will propose to confirm the membership of our association SOLB61 to this dynamic network committed to promoting rural development.
More information: www.openchurches.eu/en-gb
Yvette Laîné, Mayor of Saint-Ouen le Brisoult and Charles Fontaine, Vice-president of SOLB61 and 1st deputy Photo SOL61
Spring 2025 I Church of St Ouen le Brisoult
Spring cleaning
As after every winter, the church must be aired, swept... for a little spring clean.
Young people - and not so young - are invited to join our team of volunteers to restore our little village church to its former glory.
Come with a broom, rags, vacuum cleaner, songs and good humor. Together, we can chase away the cobwebs and make the benches and floor tiles shine!
(catch-up session during the summer to prepare for the meetings in St Ouen)
Contact us for more information!
Church cleaning campaigns... all generations are welcome! Photos SOLB61
Gérard Tomasso lors de sa 1ère dans l'église de St Ouen le Brisoult, lors de l'hiver 2024. Photo: N. Buchoud pour SOLB61
17 Mai 2025 I Eglise de St Ouen le Brisoult
Stones in Lights - 2025 Edition
Concert "Carte blanche to Gérard Tomasso"
Take part in an exceptional evening, with the candlelight concert 'Carte Blanche à Gérard Tomasso' as part of the Orne's 'Pierres en Lumières' operation, which highlights the heritage of our department. This is SOLB's first participation in Pierres en Lumières!
G uitarist and student of Alexandre Lagoya, Gérard Tomasso created the guitar class at the Metz Conservatory. He taught at the Schola Cantorum in Paris. A composer, he notably composed Marcel Marceau's last show based on Hoffman's Contes fantastiques (Théâtre Antoine in Paris). A performer, he has recorded numerous albums that you can find on Decca: Légendes de la guitare, on MDR: Prestige de la guitare and on Promothèque: Récital de guitare...
Whether it's great popular classics (Jeux interdits) or more demanding adaptations (around Jean Sébastien Bach), Gérard Tomasso's virtuosity transforms each note into a magical moment. Don't miss this unique opportunity to discover his artistic talent in an intimate setting.
Free concert, 'au chapeau' in the Church of Saint-Ouen le Brisoult. The profits will be donated to the association.
More information: https://pierresenlumieres.fr/
Juillet-Septembre 2025 I Eglise de St Ouen le Brisoult
'Campagne d'été'
Join us to make a difference! We are looking for volunteers to help clean and repair our church, inside and out. Whether for an hour or for... several months, do not hesitate to offer your goodwill or your expertise in masonry, carpentry, wood maintenance, stained glass restoration, bronze cleaning, sewing, electricity.
All goodwill is welcome. Your support is a valuable encouragement for those who are already involved in the project and give their time and know-how to bring our village's heritage back to life.
Views of the listed works (MH) inside the church of St Ouen le Brisoult and preparation of the meetings in St Ouen. Photos SOLB61
September 7, 2025 I Victory Street, La Ferte-Mace
Large annual flea market in La Ferté Macé
In order to raise the funds needed for our various restoration projects, we are participating in the big annual flea market in La Ferté Macé on the first Sunday in September. This will be an opportunity for us to present our association, its activities, and current projects on Rue de la Victoire.
Do not hesitate to come and see us, you will certainly find something to please you and you can be sure that the proceeds of the sale will be entirely donated to the association. Books, clothes, furniture, dishes, tools, everything we sell is donated to us by members and friends of the association and volunteers will take turns to ensure a presence throughout the day.
=> If you would like to donate items that we could sell, please do not hesitate to contact us, your contributions will be greatly appreciated!
From right to left: Frédérique Gaudinot, treasurer of SOLB61, Octavie Chuavin, Pascale Chauvin, secretary of SOLB61, and the partners of the association's Crédit Agricole Normandie. around Jean-Yves Moulin.
Romane Pouteau, singer, Orne senator Nathalie Goulet and St Ouen Mayor Yvette Laîné (above). Photo: SOLB61, 2023
Orne MP Chantal Jourdan, Vice-President of the Orne Departmental Council Valérie Alain, Mayor of St Ouen and President of the SOLB61 association, Nicolas Buchoud (below), at the inauguration of the first meetings in St Ouen. Photo SOLB61, 2023
Exhibitions by Samuel Châtellier (paintings) and Clément Vigneron (photographs) during the 2023 and 2024 editions. Singer Alexandra Dufeu and pianist Laurent Katz in 2023
September 20-21, 2025 I Church and town of St Ouen le Brisoult
Annual party - 3rd 'Rendezvous in Saint-Ouen'
Inauguration of the new, fully restored sacristy
Concert, restoration of local products, exhibitions and meetings, workshops, mass, inauguration of the sacristy... and more!
Join us on September 20th and 21st for our big annual celebration, the 'Rendez-vous à Saint-Ouen'. Following the tradition established since 2023, we are planning a mass with Father Christian Roullé (who, although retired, has agreed to return to Saint Ouen le Brisoult), a big concert with several guests, an exhibition, and more.
There will of course be something to eat: sandwiches and sausage pancakes, drinks, cakes, crepes and our famous 'mille-feuille des Gorges de Villiers' with fresh cream and good eggs from the bocage, cheeses, cider, perry, craft beers (in moderation), and our recipe for mulled wine
Young and old are welcome!
We will also offer new, unique animations.
Nina Vauchot, who voluntarily restores the prie-Dieu found in a very sad state in the church, will offer a tapestry workshop, in the presence of her teacher, Morgane Gérard, an artisan upholsterer whose reputation is well established. You will be able to admire several creations and who knows, learn how to restore your armchairs too.
We are also planning to organize a petanque tournament open to juniors, seniors and families, and a few other surprises. Don't hesitate to give us your ideas, or to volunteer to participate in the different activities.
Finally, for this 2025 edition, another highlight will be the inauguration of the church sacristy, completely restored after more than a year of work and thanks to the unwavering commitment of the association's volunteers and in close partnership with the town hall of our village and the parish.
The children of the village, baptismal masses and for the retirement of Father Christian Roullé, exhibitions of ceramics (Alexandre Daull), naturalist drawings (Claire Motz). Photos SOLB61, 2023, 2024
Projet Capsule temporelle
2025 I Eglise de St Ouen le Brisoult (sacristie)
During the restoration work on the sacristy, our volunteers moved heavy cupboards and on this occasion, they discovered a fairly spacious niche. Our vice-president and historian, Charles Fontaine, launched an idea that reflects the spirit in which our association was created.
Before putting the furniture back in place at the end of the work, why not put a box in the niche in which we would place a few small objects for our successors?
When it is their turn to restore the heritage that we are passing on to them, they will have the joy of discovering a few words and a few objects evocative of the 2025s. If you have ideas to submit, messages that you would like to convey, do not hesitate, we will read your suggestions carefully when the time comes to create the time capsule intended to link the past and the future.