Patiendo vinces: the motto of the La Goupillère family
In the village church next door, a painted epitaph recalls an ancestor and the motto that has accompanied the family for centuries.
In Saint-Hilaire-le-Lierru, a few steps from the estate, the church of Saint-Hilaire holds a painted decoration that intrigues visitors. A gilded frame, as if suspended before a draped curtain, beneath a frieze of green and gold acanthus leaves. Eleven lines of hand-lettered script, and at the bottom, three words in red: PATIENDO VINCES.
A motto for nine centuries
Patiendo vinces is Latin for "by enduring, you shall prevail." A motto that celebrates neither strength nor wealth, but perseverance.
It suits this house well. In the twelfth century, Colas Goupil acquired these lands, which took the name La Goupillère. The oldest documents in the family archive date back to 1161, and the estate has remained in the same family ever since. The Hundred Years' War, pillaging, fires, occupations: La Goupillère has weathered it all.
To learn more about these nine centuries of family history, read our article La Goupillère: 860 years of history in the heart of Sarthe.
Three foxes on a field of silver
Below the motto, a small shield bears three red foxes on a silver field. These are the family's arms: "three foxes gules on a field argent." Goupil is the old French word for fox, and the name La Goupillère comes from it. Here, the coat of arms is a family pun.
An epitaph in old French
Above, a heading: Épitaphe. The text honours Marin de la Goupillère, "the pride of the Manceaux," a title for the people of Le Maine. The spelling belongs to another era: gist, soubs marbre, aucteur, seulle.
The final lines address the passerby. In today's language: "Passerby, believe that here nothing of the man remains that is happy, beautiful, lasting or strong, save virtue alone, which endures after death and blesses our spirits with a better life."
A church, a family story
This church has seen livelier episodes too. In 1483, a dispute over precedence set the Goupil family against the Moreau family. The sons of Pierre de la Goupillère removed the body of Jean Moreau from the choir of the parish church, believing he had been buried in a place that was not rightfully his, and were later granted royal letters of remission. Today, it is the same family whose epitaph and motto remain on these walls.
Staying at La Sellerie means spending a few days in this landscape steeped in stories, in the Sarthe, just minutes from the church where it is all written on the walls.
Want to stay at La Goupillère?
Discover La Sellerie, a historic outbuilding of the estate, 30 minutes from Le Mans.
Book La Sellerie