The best traffic-free bike rides around Congerville-Thionville

The church of Châtenay, which stands near its cemetery in a modest village in the Beauce region, is placed under the invocation of Saint Sulpice. Its construction could date from the 16th century. Behind a porch tower that rises majestically at its entrance, a rectangular nave of four bays serves as both nave and choir, ending in a flat chevet; an appendage to the east serves as a sacristy. A seigneurial chapel opens on the north side of the choir. To the south, a side aisle with its own entrance was built in 1720, the date when the tower was also supposedly raised. This two-story tower, covered by a gable roof, is built on a square plan, the second story set back from the first and pierced on each face by two semicircular bays. Inside, the nave is covered with a wooden cradle vault with exposed tie beams, the side aisles being rib-vaulted. Large pointed arches separate the nave from the south side aisle. On the eastern wall, large pointed bays have been walled up for the presentation of the large altarpieces. Buttresses with glacis, thick but narrow, reinforce the side walls at the level of separation of the bays, as well as at the chevet. The Sauvegarde de l'Art Français paid a sum of 75,000 F in 1993 to ensure the waterproofing of this building.

The Saint-Pierre d'Ardelu church is a religious monument located in the commune of Ardelu, in the Centre-Val de Loire region. Although its existence is attested, the available sources do not specify either its period of construction or its detailed history. This type of building, typical of the French countryside, generally served as a place of worship and gathering for the local community. In rural regions such as the Centre-Val de Loire, parish churches played a central role in daily life. They were often the heart of religious, social, and sometimes administrative activities. Their architecture reflected local resources and know-how, while meeting the spiritual needs of the inhabitants.

The nave dates from the 13th century, the sacristy from the 18th. Of very simple construction, the church nevertheless contains masterpieces. First, an antependium in painted Cordoba leather, representing Saint Médard; classified as a historical monument, just like the bells. A wooden cabinet from the 13th century containing a necrology. A painted wooden altarpiece from the 12th century, featuring two statues, repainted in 1893, representing St Médard and the Virgin Mary. A churchwardens' bench serving as an altar.

Attached to the castle, the 13th-century church was burned down in the 15th century. Rebuilt, it was consecrated in 1539. The lords of Oysonville could pass from the castle to the church through a door opening onto a platform at the back of the church without mixing with the people. The altarpiece, the churchwarden's pew and the pulpit are from the 18th century. In the 19th century, the paneling of the nave was replaced by a plaster vault. Many tombstones are visible.

The tower of the church of Sainville, as well as the choir and the first three bays of the main nave, are in the Transitional Romanesque style from the end of the 12th century; the rest of the main nave and the side aisles appear to date only from the 15th century. The bell tower contains three bells. The largest, listed as a historic monument, is engraved with a quatrain: "Founded smokes all new I am the Patron of Sainville, I bear the name of St. Peter. In the year 1014. XLIX." (1549) The second, from 1821, bears this inscription: "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people." Gospel of Saint Luke, chapter 1, verse 68. The third is located above the other two.

Angerville is a French commune located sixty-six kilometers south-west of Paris in the department of Essonne in the Île-de-France region. It is the commune of Essonne furthest from Paris. Its inhabitants are called the Angervillois.

Nice little church, however, worth a little detour.

Méréville is a town in Essonne in the Île-de-France region. Méréville has 3191 inhabitants called the "Mérévillois, Mérévilloises". The population density of Méréville is 118 inhabitants per km².