The best traffic-free bike rides around Auneau-Bleury-Saint-Symphorien

Located on the pilgrimage route to Chartres, the parish of Orphin was at the borders of the lands of Montfort, the Count of Prunelé, Port-Royal and the Bishopric of Chartres. Surrounded by four fortified houses, the village takes its name "orfin" from the gold of the wheat of the Beauce. The Sainte Monégonde church was erected in the 11th century and established as a parish in the 16th century. The framework bears the date of 1552 and the bells 1556. A polychrome wooden statue from the 17th century, which represents Saint Teresa of Avila, is located near the choir. There is also, on a pillar, a coat of arms depicting the lion of Montfort. A chapel and the bell tower could be earlier than the rest of the building. The large nave could be the result of an extension of the small lateral nave. Indeed, the lateral nave and the central pillars seem older than the other elements of the church. The church suffered a serious fire at the end of the 19th century which destroyed the vault of the large nave and damaged the south wall which were rebuilt. The current stained glass windows were made by Charles Lorin, master glassmaker in Chartres, in 1914. The characters are depicted in the effigy of the donors. The stoup is described as dating from the 16th century but it is probably older. Several paintings from the 17th and 19th centuries adorn the walls of the church. The main altar and the altar of Saint Joseph date from the 1850s.

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The church of Bleury, dedicated to Saint Martin, probably dates from the end of the Middle Ages. It was remodeled and enlarged in the 16th century by the addition of a large chapel on the north side. The nave ends with a semicircular apse. The chapel to the north is extended by a square bell tower which once opened onto the nave through an arch that is now blocked but still visible. The chapel opens onto the nave through two pointed arches made of recently rendered clotted stone. It communicated with the ground floor of the courtyard through an arch that is now closed. Another filled-in arch appears on the wall between the chapel and the lower room of the courtyard. The church is covered with a paneled roof. A single beam is sculpted, the penultimate one on the west side. It supported, with the beam resting on the facade wall, a recently demolished gallery. Some of the nave's semi-circular windows are late, and the pointed arch openings have Gothic tracery. The square bell tower has a saddleback roof. It is pierced with pointed arch openings. Access to the building is from the south, under a modern porch that houses a portal surmounted by a shield with three fleurs-de-lis. A stone cornice runs under the roof to the south, supported by unsculpted modillions. Two 18th-century altarpieces were included in the Supplementary Inventory of Historic Monuments on June 17, 1975. 16th-century wall paintings depict the Mass of Saint Gregory. They were discovered in 1881 and classified as Historic Monuments on November 17, 1908. Their preservation is currently threatened by infiltration due to the poor condition of the roof structure. The Sauvegarde de l’Art Français provided aid of 75,000 F in 1994, thus contributing to the repairs undertaken to restore the framework, which will allow the walls to be cleaned up.

Don't be surprised if you spot flamingos 🦩 on the banks of the pond. They're still there, despite the park being closed for many years.

If you’re in the area, don’t miss this beautiful Town Hall!

Pretty little stone shelter with statue of the Virgin Mary.

Passing in front of it, the building housing the Hôtel de ville impresses with its elegance. The contrast between the minerals used for the facades, the roof and the large chimneys accentuates this grandiose aspect.

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