The best traffic-free bike rides around Maintenon

The Saint-Léger church of Houx is a religious monument located in the commune of Houx, in the Centre-Val de Loire region. Although its existence is attested, the available sources do not specify either its period of construction or the architectural or historical details associated with it. This type of building, typical of small French towns, often plays a central role in local life, both spiritually and communally. In the Centre-Val de Loire, parish churches like Saint-Léger of Houx were historically essential gathering places for the inhabitants. They served not only for religious services, but also for social or civic events. Their presence generally reflects the medieval or modern organization of the villages, where the church constituted a major geographical and identity landmark.

The church of Serazereux, of Romanesque origin, has a remarkable architecture with a single-nave nave, oriented towards the east and ending in a semi-circular apse, a square bell tower surmounted by an octagonal spire crowned with a cross and a rooster. Built between the 11th and 12th centuries, it has been dedicated to Saint Denis since 1028. In the middle of the 20th century, several events marked the building. First, a stele erected right next to the monument pays homage to the eight English airmen who died in 1944 while flying over the village. Then, in 1948, lightning struck the bell tower and caused a fire. The latter was replaced and rebuilt towards the front of the building.

The charm of Nogent le Roi.

The Moulin de Mormoulins is a watermill located on the Eure River in the hamlet of Mormoulins. This mill dates back to the 18th and 19th centuries and is a listed historical monument. You can admire the old stone building, the wooden wheel, and the canal that diverts water from the river as you pass in front of the mill. The mill is surrounded by green fields and trees, creating a peaceful and relaxing atmosphere.

There were once two parishes in Maintenon: "St. Nicholas," a parish serving the castle and its dependent houses. The church of St. Nicholas, adjoining the castle, now deconsecrated, still stands on Maintenon's main square. "St. Peter," a parish covered by the surveys in this table, is a current parish in the commune. In addition, there was a priory, founded in 1220 under the name of the Priory of Our Lady of Maintenon. The church of Saint-Pierre in Maintenon is mentioned at the beginning of the 12th century, but nothing appears to have survived from this period. Indeed, the Count of Montgomery, a Huguenot, passed through Maintenon in 1567 and ruined the church. In 1692, Madame de Maintenon rebuilt the church of Saint-Pierre, which had fallen into ruin and had become too small for a population that had grown from 700 to 1,100 with the arrival of labor for the construction of the aqueduct. However, there is no evidence that the new church was built on the site of the old one. The foundation stone of the new church of Saint-Pierre was laid on June 4, 1692, by the Vicar General. The blessing took place on July 17, 1694. Bishop Godet des Marais subsequently consecrated the building. In 1736, the large "Henriette" bell was blessed by Mr. Jean François DEREYROLES, parish priest, in the presence of "the Most High and Most Powerful Lord, Monsignor Jean Paul François de NOAILLES, Count of AYEN" and by "the Most High and Most Powerful Lady, Madame Henriette Louise DAGUESSEAU de FRESNE, Countess of AYEN." From 1805 to 1813, Duke Jean-Paul de NOAILLES and his wife refurnished and decorated the Saint-Pierre church (the woodwork, credenzas, and pews were redone). The church's embellishment continued until 1899. The church's architecture is unremarkable. However, it is listed as one of the few Baroque churches in the department. The choir is flanked on one side by a sacristy and on the other by a room called "the vault." This is because, until the 1990s, it contained the bodies of some members of the Noailles family, who were buried there in stacked boxes that are still visible, but disused. The organ, installed in the gallery, is no longer in use. It had been partially dismantled for a renovation that proved too expensive, and some of the pipes were stolen. During the 1939-1945 war, almost all of the old stained-glass windows were destroyed and replaced with modern ones, the work of a master glassmaker from the region: Victor Cot-Dezan.

One of the most beautiful castles in the area!

Situated on the banks of the Eure River, the village of Maintenon boasts a peaceful atmosphere and rich heritage. Dominated by its Renaissance castle and famous for its unfinished aqueduct designed by Vauban, the town invites you to stroll. The ancient streets, the banks of the Eure River, and the Louis XIV Canal provide an ideal setting for a break in the footsteps of history.

The church corresponds to the typology highlighted in the canton of Nogent-le-Roi: a single-aisle building, a dripstone tower punctuating the floors and an adjoining access turret. The architectural decorations belong to late Gothic art. The church was built, or rebuilt, at the end of the 15th century thanks to donations from the Trie and Pillavoine families. To the east, the choir is surrounded, on the north side, by a low construction going around the semi-circular apse to lead to the sacristy. The bell tower is covered with a four-sided dome. The staircase turret adjoining it is hexagonal. To the south, the chapel opening onto the choir was that of the castellans, built in the 19th century by the Boquestant family, and communicating directly with the outbuildings of the castle.