The best road cycling routes around Cernay

Of Romanesque origin, the church, surrounded by a cemetery, has a curious bell tower supported by machicolations and uprights of sandstone, making it one of the most unique in the region. Perhaps it was originally a bell gable, later augmented by a platform supported by these machicolations? In front of the entrance, a small building called a "caquetoire" (a small meeting place) allows the faithful to gather and converse. Inside the church, the furnishings date from the 18th and 19th centuries: a marble high altar and its gray-painted wooden altarpiece (18th century) – a painted wooden altarpiece of St. Joseph (late 18th or early 19th century) an altarpiece for the altar of the Virgin Mary (19th century) a baptismal font in red-veined marble (19th century) a waxed wooden pew (18th century) a waxed wooden choir stall upholstered in velvet paintings: the Assumption of the Virgin Mary by Octave Hauser (1839) and the Annunciation (18th century) The stained-glass windows date from 1874. The church and the eclipse A bit of history: The parish, established in the 13th century, was part of the deanery of Courville. The church's patron saint, Luperche or Luperchius, gave his name to the village. We must go back to the 4th century to find the first trace of this saint: At that time, Dacius, governor of the part of Spain that included Catalonia, Aragon, and the Kingdom of Valencia, was one of the most cruel ministers of persecution. Incited by the emperors Diocletian and Maximilian, he had eighteen confessors of Jesus Christ executed in the city of Zaragoza. In their honor, the poet Prudentius wrote hymns, and among these confessors, a certain martyr named Luperche became the patron saint of our church.

At the exit of the village, you will notice the Saint-Aignan church; it was almost entirely rebuilt from 1895 onwards on the foundations of the old church after being destroyed by an unfortunate fire.

Avitus was born in Orléans and became a monk at Ménat in Auvergne. An abbot and pastor at heart, he was a model of selflessness and service. He was the third abbot of Micy (or Saint Mesmin) near Orléans. The hermit's life appealed to him, and he went to the Perche region with Saint Calais. He was a healing saint: in particular, he restored sight to a blind man and raised a dead man from the dead. His reputation grew, and his disciples encouraged him to found and build a monastery for them. He died around 530. His relics are kept at the Benedictine monastery of Saint Nicholas in Verneuil-sur-Avre.

The Church of Saint-Martin in Vieuvicq is a religious monument located in the commune of Vieuvicq, in the Centre-Val de Loire region. Although its existence is documented, available sources do not specify its construction period or the architectural or historical details that would place its origins in time. In the general context of the Centre-Val de Loire region, parish churches like Saint-Martin played a central role in the life of rural communities. They served not only as places of worship, but also as gathering points for social, religious, and sometimes administrative events. These buildings often reflected the local organization around the parish, shaping the landscape and the daily lives of the inhabitants.

According to biblical accounts, the apostle "Saint Jacques" was the first person to be executed for his faith, as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, making him an early martyr (blood witness) of Christianity. His tomb in the town named after him, "Santiago de Compostela" (Galicia, Spain), is one of the most famous and important pilgrimage destinations in the world and is often ranked third after Jerusalem and Rome. Yesterday (July 25) was his feast day in the calendar of saints. When this date falls on a Sunday (this was last the case in 2021), the Catholic Church celebrates a special "Holy Year" there (extended by Pope Francis until 2022 due to the coronavirus pandemic).

Superb castle in the Perche!

The place to take a break in Illiers-Combray.

Saint-Étienne Church, whose paneling covering the nave and the choir, dating from the 18th century, is classified as a "historic monument" as an object.