The best traffic-free bike rides around Saint-Hilaire-Sur-Erre

Mentioned as early as the 13th century as a dependency of the abbey of Saint-Père, near Chartres, the Notre-Dame des Étilleux church comprises three disparate parts, the most surprising of which is the four-level bell tower, topped by a belfry covered in slate and a lanternon. Protestants are said to have held a sermon there in 1577. Since its foundation, the church has undergone many transformations, notably the rather recent decoration of the choir, an intertwining of fair-weather cumulus clouds in stucco that allows one to guess the original stone wall and a pointed arch opening. A beautiful flamboyant door opens to the west onto a parvis renovated in 1995, and the eastern part, on the sacristy side, has retained its row of gargoyles adorning the choir's slopes. This church is renowned for the very beautiful statue it houses: a Virgin and Child whose pronounced hip sway, facial expression, and the drapery of the mantle are characteristic of a 14th-century representation.

The construction of the church of Coudray en Perche dates back to the 12th century, but the 16th century saw its enlargement by the addition of a higher choir with a stone vault. The interior is distinguished by the nave's inverted ship-hull structure with its painted ceiling and four equally painted beautiful beams. Also noteworthy are the stone baptismal fonts with their scaly wooden lid, which bears a sculpted angel's head. All the windows were remodeled as was often the custom in the Renaissance. In the 19th century, a gallery was built for the children of the sisters' school. Above, admire the stained glass window "Let the little children come to me." The opening of the chancel window led to the modification of the main altarpiece, due to the generosity of the Prince of Henin, owner of the Château de Montgraham. The pretty stained glass window, which thus descends into the middle of the altarpiece, relates to the story of the church's patron saint: it is a depiction of Jesus handing the keys to Saint Peter.

Magnificent ceiling with the possibility of lighting it up

This ancient fortified castle dominates the Huisne Valley at 360° with its imposing keep. The building, with its troubled history, has undergone numerous modifications in its architecture and functions. A visit is essential to understand the complexity of its history and to observe the architectural evolutions.

Religious building dating back to the 11th century and expanded during the Renaissance. The first parish church of Nogent-le-Rotrou dates back to the 11th century, and its expansion dates from the 15th and 16th centuries. Beautiful bell tower topped with a lantern surrounded by an ornate gallery.

The inhabitants of Margon can admire the church of Notre-Dame du Mont-Carmel, proudly dominating the old town on its rocky spur, at the corner of two green valleys. It was later given an aisle during the 16th century, but its Romanesque portal has been preserved. It reigns benevolently over the old cemetery which surrounds it and which has recently been enlarged due to the increase in the population of the commune.

A must-see that overlooks the valley.

Occupying mainly a hill dominated by a curious dome-shaped bell tower, the territory of Brunelles has a rich historical past, sometimes even bordering on the marvelous. If the very ancient occupation of the place is attested to in Bois-Jahan, the disappearance of the village of La Ferrière and its church of La Madeleine during the Hundred Years' War (14th-15th century), give the hamlet of Vieux Murs a legendary air... A fortified castle and a chapel below probably stood here. Furthermore, because the lords of Brunelles who were the vassals of the Rotrou, were required to guard the Saint-Jean castle, one of the towers of the Nogent castle still bears the name of the village today. Situated on a rocky peak, the Saint-Martin church is visible from afar. Built in the 15th century, most of it, including the spire, was unfortunately destroyed by fire, and only the stone choir with a semi-circular vault is original. The nave is lit on each side by three flamboyant-style windows, and in the choir you can admire the beautiful stone altarpiece that has recently been restored. You will also notice an oculus on the south face, found during the 1998 restoration campaign, and enriched with a recent stained glass window illustrating the Creation. Finally, visitors should not fail to stop by the relics of the young Alexander, tortured for refusing to renounce his faith in Christ, as were other saints called martyrs for this, from the Greek "witnesses". There are thus many relics in our churches: they can be found at the first origin of basilicas, often built on ancient funerary areas on the outskirts of ancient cities. The relics of the saints are to be considered as the very humble signs of what their bodies were, the evocation of their human condition: it is with their bodies that the saints acted, thought, prayed, worked, suffered and experienced death. The monastery of the Val d’Arcisses was the first foundation of the monk Bernard d’Abbeville, later called Bernard de Thiron, because the monks of St.-Denis de Nogent-le-Rotrou would not let him do it! Bernard had to settle nearby, in the parish of Gardais, under the protection of the bishop of Chartres, Saint Yves and de Rotrou, Count of Perche. He had been established in a manor located between Brunelles and Ozée. The Notre-Dame-du-Val-d’Arcisses abbey welcomed Benedictine nuns during the 17th and 18th centuries. Destroyed during the Revolution, all that remains is the gatehouse, a beautiful arch embedded in a façade. One of the monks' major works was to dig the Arcisses canal, a diversion from the Cloche: it irrigated the abbey's lands and supplied the fountain which flowed near the Notre-Dame church in Nogent-le-Rotrou.