The best traffic-free bike rides around Nogent-Le-Phaye

According to tradition, the church choir covers the remains of an older building, possibly dating back to the 6th century, which was built to house the saint's body. According to current knowledge, the commune of Saint-Piat (Sanctus Piatus in Latin) officially appeared in 1087, mentioned in a charter of the Nottonville Priory (Eure-et-Loir), on which it depended. The current building was rebuilt during the time of Francis I, as suggested by the date 1535 engraved on two buttresses of the apse and the date 1542 engraved on a piece of wood from the vault. This is according to a study by the SAEL (Eure-et-Loir Archaeological Society). The three-sided apses, the dripstone towers (horizontal members projecting from a wall), and the sculpted roof structures are a testament to the importance of the reconstructions carried out in the department during the 16th century. The church of Saint-Piat is one of them. While the church has not been officially recognized, it nevertheless contains objects that have attracted attention both for their antiquity and quality, but not always for good reason. Their artistic value, far from attracting only religious or aesthetic interest, has also aroused a covetousness that, unfortunately, remains for some of them. Fortunately, those still in place are carefully cared for and offer the curious a story to discover, a beauty to slowly ponder as they progress toward the choir.

The current remains are those of the 15th-century gate and its barbican or artillery boulevard. The earliest remains on the site date back to the 1st century, with the remains of an ancient domus, a street, and its wooden gutter. The first Guillaume Gate was built around 1185; a wall can still be seen a little further along Rue de la Porte Guillaume. Source: https://journals.openedition.org/cem/14214?lang=en

The Plateau mill is a large water mill, equipped with two turbines producing their own electricity.

Beautiful green space in the middle of the city. Sometimes flooded in winter.

Using the power of moving water to drive a mill wheel is an ancient invention that dates back to pre-Christian times. Thanks to such a construction, human or animal muscle power could be easily replaced by a watercourse - natural or artificially created - in order to grind grain into corn, for example. There are essentially two different ways of driving watermills: either the water simply hits the blades of the water wheel from below to set it in motion; or the water is guided above the wheel and falls onto the blades; this type of construction is more efficient due to natural gravity.

Eure River Banks Park

Chartres en Lumières returns for a 21st edition, illuminating 21 sites seven evenings a week from April 13, 2024 to January 5, 2025. For the 2024 season, Chartres en Lumières includes in its program the Saint-Aignan church, which is preparing its grand return, and the façade of the Departmental Council, Place Châtelet, where the Eurelian heritage will be honored. With Chartres en Lumières, immerse yourself in a magical, colorful universe and discover, in an atypical way, the must-sees in the heart of the city of Chartres from dusk to 1 a.m. (11:30 p.m. from October 27).

A medieval building has shaped the city's skyline for centuries: the cathedral's two towers reaching towards the sky can be seen from a long way away. This early example of Gothic architecture not only shaped Chartres itself, but was also a model for many other church buildings for a long time, not only in France, but also spread beyond its borders to other countries.