The best traffic-free bike rides around Chartres

very nice pond to rest

Its origin would date back to the 10th century, a time when it was only a chapel dedicated to St Thibaut-des-Vignes. It is unknown when and why Saint-Thibault became Saint-Julien. The inhabitants of Coudray then gathered in the priory church of Saint-Martin-au-Val. It was only towards the end of the 14th century that Saint-Julien du Coudray was established as a parish. The church is "a building 26 m long and 8 m wide, made of millstone grit and flint masonry, with a rounded apse, an entrance door of elegant simplicity, a square bell tower, round-arched or segmental-arched windows, all supported by lateral and angular buttresses which are undoubtedly of Romanesque inspiration. Also noteworthy inside, in the choir, is a small round-arched piscina carved into the wall (...)". Over the centuries, this church was damaged and neglected. It became necessary to build a new place of worship. However, between 1998 and 1999, the municipality of Coudray undertook a complete renovation of the structure: framework, roofing, walls, and stained glass. This church, which has never been deconsecrated, is only used for a few gatherings. La Chapelle de Semaine (or Petite chapelle) The parish church, which until 1893 was the "Old Church of Saint-Julien", was located far from the village and was only accessible by a simple path. Abbé Boucher, appointed priest of Coudray in 1842, had the idea of asking the municipal council for "permission to convert a bakehouse, located in the presbytery courtyard, into a chapel which he would undertake at his own expense" to allow him to say his daily mass, without being obliged to brave the bad weather. When in 1893, another church in the heart of the village replaced the "old church" deemed too far away, it no longer had a reason to exist. It became communal heritage in 1905, and was restored by the municipality in 1987.

At the exit of the village, you will notice the Saint-Aignan church; it was almost entirely rebuilt from 1895 onwards on the foundations of the old church after being destroyed by an unfortunate fire.

According to tradition, the church choir covers the remains of an older building, possibly dating back to the 6th century, which was built to house the saint's body. According to current knowledge, the commune of Saint-Piat (Sanctus Piatus in Latin) officially appeared in 1087, mentioned in a charter of the Nottonville Priory (Eure-et-Loir), on which it depended. The current building was rebuilt during the time of Francis I, as suggested by the date 1535 engraved on two buttresses of the apse and the date 1542 engraved on a piece of wood from the vault. This is according to a study by the SAEL (Eure-et-Loir Archaeological Society). The three-sided apses, the dripstone towers (horizontal members projecting from a wall), and the sculpted roof structures are a testament to the importance of the reconstructions carried out in the department during the 16th century. The church of Saint-Piat is one of them. While the church has not been officially recognized, it nevertheless contains objects that have attracted attention both for their antiquity and quality, but not always for good reason. Their artistic value, far from attracting only religious or aesthetic interest, has also aroused a covetousness that, unfortunately, remains for some of them. Fortunately, those still in place are carefully cared for and offer the curious a story to discover, a beauty to slowly ponder as they progress toward the choir.

superb car-free road

Rambouillet Castle A former medieval fortress, Rambouillet Castle was gradually transformed into a pleasure residence by its illustrious owners and adorned with elegant decorations.

Unfortunately, the church was not accessible when I visited (mid-September 2024). You could only look in through a gate and the dance of death depictions on the left side were not really visible. In front of them were transparencies with skeleton drawings. Maybe those were the depictions...

An excellent place to take a break and admire the magnificent castle and its park. Whether you are roaming along the Véloscénie or simply strolling through the forest of the estate, you will be seduced by this idyllic view.