The best traffic-free bike rides around Prudemanche

The Saint-Martin church, located in Châtaincourt, was not always the only place of worship in the commune. A small chapel did indeed exist between Châtaincourt and the hamlet of Boutaincourt at a very ancient date, since Louis VII the Young, King of the Franks from 1137 to 1180, came there on pilgrimage in 1155. The Saint-Jacques chapel, such was its name, and the place of the same name no longer exist today, they were destroyed during the Wars of Religion.

The current church was almost entirely rebuilt in 1542 on Gothic foundations. The Gothic church was reportedly destroyed in 1424 by the English. According to legend, Saint Lubin, Bishop of Chartres, came to rest in this place, which housed a recluse inhabited by a monk. A chapel was built there towards the end of the 6th century.

Every year, during the Heritage Days, the association "Au Cœur de Nos Villages" opens the doors of the Saint-Pierre church. A building from the 12th and 15th centuries, listed as a historical monument, whose bell tower, clock, and five renovated altarpieces, including Saint Michael slaying the dragon, are to be discovered. For the benefit of the Restos du Cœur Walkers will also be able to get to know the Atelier Arc-en-ciel (plastic arts) which exhibits the works of the adult group. Paintings, in red chalk, white pencil, sepia, etc., representing views of the church, statues, etc., will be put on sale for the benefit of the association Au Cœur de Nos Villages.

Église Saint Madeleine is a church where beautiful various statues of Saints, famous and less famous. The reason for so many different statues is that the school of sculpture was established here.

Placed under the patronage of Saint-Lubin, bishop of Chartres in the 6th century, the church of Prudemanche has experienced many vicissitudes over the centuries. Ruined during the English invasions and then devastated by the Protestants, the current building is said to be the third construction, undertaken at the dawn of the 17th century. Its style, very simple, is even said to have been deliberate so as not to offend the austerity of a part of the population who remained Calvinist. Rectangular in plan, the nave is extended by a choir with a flat chevet of the same width. To the northeast of the church, a sacristy has been added, accessible by a side door of the choir. The nave is pierced with semicircular bays probably coming from the original Romanesque building. The raftered nave frame supporting the truss is paneled. The walls are made up of a wooden frame with flint masonry infill mounted with lime mortar. The façades and the chevet are supported by powerful buttresses of grison. According to a drawing from 1852, the initial portal to the west had a double bay occupying the width of this arch. The roof is made of old flat tiles, while the bell tower with a quadrangular base is covered in slate. The furniture consists of a single altar, a bench, a pulpit, a glory beam and two statues remaining from the old altarpiece of the 15th century. On the north side of the nave, wall paintings appear under the 19th century rendering. For the consolidation of the masonry of the choir, the repair of the roof and the framework, the Sauvegarde de l’Art Français granted, in 1997, a grant of 15,000 F.

church with special bell tower: octagonal on a square base

small church and its cemetery

Its construction undoubtedly dates back to the Romanesque period but as it appears today it presents the characteristics of the Gothic style flamboyant period in which it was rebuilt after the destruction caused by the 100 Years' War. The date of March 23, 1511 inscribed on the entrance which surmounts the entrance to the choir gives a valuable clue to the period of its renovation. Another testimony is the coat of arms of Charles d’Ô Seigneur de Blévy and partly by Louise Gentil married in 1507 appearing on a stained glass window in the choir. The style of the tower porch, slopes of the gable of the nave and tracery of the windows clearly shows that we are in the presence of a building constructed in the first quarter of the 16th century at the twilight of the flamboyant Gothic style.