The best road cycling routes around Chapelle-Royale

Placed under the patronage of Saint Hilaire, this parish was given by Gannelon de Montigny, lord of the place, to the abbey of Marmoutier around 1042. Its reconstruction probably dates from this period; it then became a priory. The church has a rectangular nave ending in a choir with a flat chevet. An examination of the masonry easily reveals two distinct periods of construction: the Romanesque period and the Renaissance. Built of flint rubble with rendering, the western part of the building appears to date from the 11th or 12th century. A limestone cornice supported by rather crude corbels underlines the base of the roof. To the south, two narrow Romanesque windows flared inwards light the nave. To the north, the bays were later reworked and enlarged. On this same side, a Romanesque doorway was walled up; It allowed the church to connect with a building whose traces of detachment remain. The bell tower was built to the north of the Romanesque nave, extending the western façade. The absence of a connection between the east and west walls of the bell tower and the north wall of the nave clearly indicates that it is an entirely later construction. However, its crowning is much later, as evidenced by its cornice, whose molding is in the classical style. Flanked by obliquely angled buttresses, it is covered with a saddleback roof. The eastern half of the church appears to be an extension built during the Renaissance period. Its ogee-shaped cornice and the decoration of the eastern gable, as well as the moldings of the buttress bands, attest to this dating. A vast rectangular choir then appears to have replaced a semicircular Romanesque apse; the eastern gable and the southern and northern façades were then pierced with networked bays. In the lower part of the north façade, projecting ashlars appear to have supported the roof of a lean-to building. To the south, a sacristy was built in the 19th century. Inside, the entire building is covered with a paneled vault with exposed tie beams and kingposts. The 18th-century high altar is surmounted by an Assumption of the Virgin inspired by Murillo's. For the restoration of the roofs and façades, the Sauvegarde de l'Art Français (French National Art Protection Agency) awarded a grant of €30,490 in 2001.

The imposing structure known as the "Château de Chateaudun" that reveals itself to visitors here is, of course, also available in other sports in the komoot system. For the corresponding hiking highlight, you'll find further relevant information and additional photos under the tips. If you're interested, see =>> https://www.komoot.com/de-de/highlight/936307

Superb castle in the Perche!

Built on an old feudal motte, which is still visible and was completely destroyed during the Hundred Years' War, it was replaced in the second half of the 15th century by the castle, the remains of which can still be seen today. The Saint-François Tower remains as it was, with its Grisons base and rows of white stone. Halfway up the circle is the Cord of Saint Francis of Assisi, with its coils and knots. A Renaissance building was added in the 16th century, and new buildings were constructed in the 17th and 18th centuries.

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Three periods marked the construction of the church: the 12th century for the main nave, the 15th century for the side naves and the pulpit, the 17th century for the tower that supports the bell tower. The Romanesque period. The main nave was built in grison (very hard rock made up of small flints agglomerated using iron oxide). The main door is formed of three arches without any decoration because grison is not suitable for sculpture. The Gothic period. These are the side naves and the pulpit. Their roofs are formed of four gables. The latter are separated by gutters that end with sculpted gargoyles. The Renaissance period. The bell tower dates from the middle of the 17th century. The date 1647 can be read on the lintel of the door at the bottom of the bell tower. It is a tower that supports the bell tower. The interior of the tower is lit by a very simple rose window on the first floor. This tower was originally topped by a very slender spire, one of the tallest in the region, which was destroyed in February 1802 by a fire caused by lightning. Due to lack of sufficient resources, the spire was not rebuilt in the same style: square at the base, it ends with an octagonal spire. The interior decoration. At the end of the 19th century, the walls of the sanctuary were covered with neo-Byzantine style paintings by Doctor Paul Durand. However, this learned archaeologist died before finishing his work and it was Abbot Henault who completed it. Various frescoes are visible. One of them represents doves, symbols of the Christian soul in contemplation in front of bunches of grapes alternating with ears of wheat, symbols of the Eucharist. In the window embrasures, round medallions contain the names of the virtues with characteristic emblems. There are many statues. Some are made of wood, others of plaster or stucco. They represent the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph and other Saints (Saint Eloi, Saint Benedict, Saint John the Baptist, Saint Lubin...). There are also many paintings. Some were copied in Rome from Italian masters. They represent the Virgin Mary and the Holy Family, the Holy Face. Also in this church is a remarkable painted wooden crucifix fixed to the punch of the frame at the entrance to the choir.

The church dates from the 12th century and was remodeled in the 15th or 16th century, its buttresses and bell tower date from the 19th century. It houses a wrought iron communion table from the 18th century.

Porte de Boisville Its ogival portal opens into a thick quadrangular massif where there was a room for operating the portcullis. We can still see the groove in the thickness of the walls. On the left and right two small funnel-shaped spaces allowed the defenders to observe and repel the enemies who appeared on the bridge. The gate was topped by a building serving as a guardhouse which was demolished in 1761. The guarding of these doors and their keys was in the troubled times of the Hundred Years' War the subject of concern for the inhabitants and also a source of quarrels and trials between the city and the abbey. This gate is preceded by a bridge of 5 stone arches, the one adjoining the gate was built in 1774 and replaced a drawbridge which defended the entrance.