The best road cycling routes around Montreuil

Dedicated to Saint Blaise, the church of Havelu is oriented and comprises a single nave. Its construction dates back to the 16th century. The choir, older and narrower than the nave, ends in a three-sided chevet. Constructed of flint blocks, the building is erected on a sandstone base. Two-stepped buttresses rise to the cornice. The western door appears to date from the 19th century, based on a Gothic-inspired model. It consists of a pointed arch with two tori exposed by wide grooves resting on prismatic bases. A lowered arch supports the blind tympanum. A shell is carved on the lintel of the south door, now walled up. A pointed octagonal spire rises from the bell tower. The roof is slate. Inside, the roof structure is exposed and retains the original stencilled decoration on the shingles. The name of the clergyman who commissioned it can still be seen: "M[ai]stre Jehan Menere p[re]b[t]re chaplain of this place." The furnishings of Havelu church are remarkable for their uniform 18th-century decoration. A partition altarpiece is located in the choir. Signed and dated by the artist, Pierre Pilastre (1753), it features, in the center, a painting of the Resurrection, inserted between two fluted pilasters flanked by scrolls with floral and fruit motifs and topped with fire pots. At the ends, each of the two doors is surmounted by a painting, one depicting Saint Blaise, the other Saint Barbara. At the choir entrance, the triumphal arch—by the same craftsman—also survives. A work bench, a confessional, and a lectern from the same period complete this decorative ensemble. In 1998, the Sauvegarde de l'Art Français (French Art Protection Association) granted a donation of 60,000 francs to strengthen the bell tower's framework.

A very beautiful greenway It's an old railway line that has been covered over; it used to go all the way to Dreux. We love going there for cycling, and it's also ideal for walking and rollerblading.

Built at the end of the 12th century by the Counts of Montfort and listed as a Historic Monument since 1889, the Houdan Tower was used to watch for enemies and defend the territory. The Keep consists of a 15 m diameter and 21 m high tower, flanked by four turrets of the same height located at the four cardinal points. From the 16th century until the French Revolution, the Keep served as a prison, and executions took place at the foot of the Tower. The first water reservoir was installed in the tower in 1880. The second, built in 1952, is still visible. Tours are available on certain days.

Built in the 15th century on the foundations of a chapel whose origins can be traced back to a papal bull from Pope Alexander in 1142, Saint Apollonia was worshipped there.

The building is oriented and follows an elongated plan ending in a semicircular chevet. A bell tower porch is attached to the gable wall. The entrance is through a bell tower porch with four levels, supported by facade buttresses. The first has a low-arched portal, the second a rectangular opening, the third an oculus and a clock, and the fourth a low-arched bay on each side. It is topped by a spire with pavilions. The gable wall has arched windows. The south drip wall has four pointed arched windows. The chancel and chevet are lit by arched windows. The north drip wall has pointed arched windows. The roof is gabled for the nave and chancel and rounded hipped for the chevet. The herringbone walls date from the Romanesque period. The semicircular apse and tower date from the 18th century, and the mullioned windows from the Renaissance. A baptismal font decorated with bas-reliefs dating from the 16th century has been discovered. The stained-glass windows from the same period are from the School of Chartres. A glory beam dates from the 16th century. This church was donated in 965 to the Abbey of Saint-Père de Chartres.

Nice city center with medieval architecture

The Saint-Rémy church in Saint-Rémy-sur-Avre is dedicated to Saint Remi of Reims, Bishop of Reims who baptized Clovis in 496 in the Notre-Dame Cathedral of Reims. In the 12th century, it marked the border between the Duchy of Normandy and the French royal domain on which Saint-Rémy-sur-Avre depends. It is a flamboyant Gothic church from the 15th century, probably rebuilt since we have mention of its existence since the end of the 11th century.

mounted when entering Eure-et-Loir