The best traffic-free bike rides around Saint-Aignan

The nave is covered with a wooden vault with exposed beams. The archivolts of the Romanesque door are decorated with saw teeth. The west gable wall is topped with a slender bell tower. The interior contains three classical altars whose designs were apparently made by Mansard at the request of Louvois, owner of the Prairie de Marcilly.

The church of Commerveil is built on a simple plan with a single nave and a straight chevet. According to the town hall's research, this small church dates from the 11th, 12th and 17th centuries. Its small spire can be seen from afar and its ogival windows match its size. Inside, the altarpiece dates from the middle of the 18th century. Behind the wooden tabernacle, we discover a painting representing the Assumption of the Virgin. To the right of the large marble altar, is the statue of Saint Anne and to the left that of the Holy Virgin. On the side aisles, to the right above the altarpiece of the Sacred Heart, we see in a niche the statue of Saint John the Baptist with a sheep. To the left, above the altarpiece of the Virgin with the Sorrowful Heart, is in a niche a statue of Saint Magdeleine. These two altarpieces, in marble and sculpted stone and partly gilded, date from the 17th and 18th centuries and have been listed as historical monuments since 1982. At the top of the nave, there is a Christ on the cross, probably made of wood. A statue of St. Gilles, placed on a wooden base, is located on the back wall of the church. Note a painted paneled vault that dates from the 19th century. The restoration of the church was carried out in the early 1980s.

Dedicated to St Jouin, the church is only mentioned at the end of the 11th century. The building was fortified during the wars of religion. Gunboats (some rotating) are added as well as an underground refuge. You will see one as you go around the church. You can also admire the gargoyles and the magnificent sculpted capitals on either side of the portal. Inside, don't miss the carved keystones and capitals. The building contains quite rich furniture, including a headless sculpture holding a book whose origin and meaning remain mysterious.

Religious building or fortified castle? The church of St George is surprising! Of Romanesque origin (11th century), the places have been transformed over the centuries, notably during the wars of religion where the church was fortified. A front part is built with a complete defense system: watchtowers (small turrets), loopholes and barred doors. These defense elements narrowly escaped destruction in the 17th century. Inside you can admire a Virgin and Child, Saint Barbara, Saint Paul and of course the statue of Saint George. You will also be able to observe the remains of one of the Aunais crosses. The building presents many other treasures: old clock mechanism, exhibition on the Cassini family, liturgical vestments...

The Palets de Gargantua is a megalithic structure that was originally a dolmen. Looking at it in its environment, one can't help but wonder which came first: the rock...or the tree...? The tree trunk giving way to the rock of course gives the answer to this question.

The castle was started in the 1400s. 400 years later it was restored in the neogothic style.

Is it a church or a castle? The architecture of the churches seems to indicate that this region was often conquered and reconquered.

Small village church, modest like its patron saint, with the town hall right next to it.