RoutesRoad cycling routesFranceCentre-Val de LoireRomorantin-LanthenayPierrefitte-Sur-Sauldre
Saint-Étienne Church – Église Sainte Montaine loop from Pierrefitte-sur-Sauldre
RoutesRoad cycling routesFranceCentre-Val de LoireRomorantin-LanthenayPierrefitte-Sur-Sauldre
Saint-Étienne Church – Église Sainte Montaine loop from Pierrefitte-sur-Sauldre
Easy
11
riders
Saint-Étienne Church – Église Sainte Montaine loop from Pierrefitte-sur-Sauldre
01:43
44.5km
120m
Road cycling
Easy road ride. Great for any fitness level. Mostly well-paved surfaces and easy to ride. The starting point of the route is right next to a parking lot.
Last updated: April 16, 2026
Tips
Your route passes through a protected area
Please check local regulations for:
Natura 2000 de Sologne
Waypoints
A
Start point
Parking
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1
377 m
Notre Dame des Septs Douleurs Chapel
Highlight • Other
The two periods of construction of the chapel are clearly distinguishable:
the timber-framed walls date from 1600, while the brick façade and walls date from 1863.
The Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows, which had been falling into ruin for many years, holds a special place in the heritage of Pierrefitte.
Historians have pondered this legend, which is also found in other villages. Louis de la Saussaye (a 19th-century historian) offers a rational explanation for the chapel's location:
Everyone knows that Pierrefitte owes its name to "Pierre fichée," meaning a planted stone. This stone marked the boundary between two Gallic tribes and also served as a religious monument. The Catholic religion was emerging and developing, but this stone remained an object of veneration until quite late in the Middle Ages (1100-1200).
The presence of the legendary oxen licking the stone is explained by the fact that the local people secretly worshipped the last remaining monument of the ancient cult and, as tradition dictated, sprinkled milk and honey upon it. The chapel would therefore have been built on the site of this Gallic stone.
All of this, of course, is only legend or hypothesis, but written documents dating back to 1600 (during the reign of Henry IV) allow us to glimpse the history of our chapel.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, travelers taking the Orléans-Bourges road, whether on horseback or on foot, such as the stonemasons from La Marche who were returning in search of work, were accustomed to spending the night in one of the five inns or "hostelleries" in our village. The quality of these inns was indeed highly regarded at the time, and in the evening, people didn't hesitate to travel a few extra kilometers to stop at "La Croix Blanche," "Le Lion d'Or," "Le Sermon," "Le Trois Rois," or "Le Sauvage" (according to Henri Deletang).
This was an opportunity to stop at the Chapel of the Leper Colony, and to care for their souls, Lord or peasant, merchant or beggar, didn't hesitate to throw a few offerings into it. There was a collection box placed within easy reach, but people preferred to toss coins through the bars onto the chapel floor.
the timber-framed walls date from 1600, while the brick façade and walls date from 1863.
The Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows, which had been falling into ruin for many years, holds a special place in the heritage of Pierrefitte.
Historians have pondered this legend, which is also found in other villages. Louis de la Saussaye (a 19th-century historian) offers a rational explanation for the chapel's location:
Everyone knows that Pierrefitte owes its name to "Pierre fichée," meaning a planted stone. This stone marked the boundary between two Gallic tribes and also served as a religious monument. The Catholic religion was emerging and developing, but this stone remained an object of veneration until quite late in the Middle Ages (1100-1200).
The presence of the legendary oxen licking the stone is explained by the fact that the local people secretly worshipped the last remaining monument of the ancient cult and, as tradition dictated, sprinkled milk and honey upon it. The chapel would therefore have been built on the site of this Gallic stone.
All of this, of course, is only legend or hypothesis, but written documents dating back to 1600 (during the reign of Henry IV) allow us to glimpse the history of our chapel.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, travelers taking the Orléans-Bourges road, whether on horseback or on foot, such as the stonemasons from La Marche who were returning in search of work, were accustomed to spending the night in one of the five inns or "hostelleries" in our village. The quality of these inns was indeed highly regarded at the time, and in the evening, people didn't hesitate to travel a few extra kilometers to stop at "La Croix Blanche," "Le Lion d'Or," "Le Sermon," "Le Trois Rois," or "Le Sauvage" (according to Henri Deletang).
This was an opportunity to stop at the Chapel of the Leper Colony, and to care for their souls, Lord or peasant, merchant or beggar, didn't hesitate to throw a few offerings into it. There was a collection box placed within easy reach, but people preferred to toss coins through the bars onto the chapel floor.
Translated by Google •
Tip by
2
738 m
Saint-Étienne Church
Highlight • Religious Site
The parish church of Saint-Étienne was at the disposal of the Abbot of Jargeau. Of Romanesque origin, the building has a single nave on which are grafted a chapel to the north and south, a straight bay under the bell tower, supported by a sacristy to the north and a polygonal choir. The latter belongs to the 16th century. It includes a three-sided apse preceded by a straight bay. The whole, vaulted with ribs, is lit by five bays with flamboyant tracery similar to the two windows of the bay of the bell tower, contemporary with the choir. This has a square plan. Four pillars projecting strongly from the interior of the nave, receiving the four arches which carry all the masonry of the bell tower, accentuate the tripartite division of the interior volume of the building. The open door, in the north gutter wall, on the sacristy rebuilt in the 20th century, is surmounted by two pinnacles resting on sculpted bases framing an accolade. The lintel was once decorated with a coat of arms. The nave, Romanesque in its external volumes, was necessarily reworked from the 16th to the 19th century. It was probably originally a simple framed vessel whose gutter walls were supported on the outside by flat buttresses with slight projections. In the 16th century, the paneled barrel vault, still preserved in the attic, was hidden by ribbed vaults; the engaged columns which receive the ribs, as well as the corner buttresses visible on the facade belong to this campaign of works. Subsequently, a rectangular chapel was attached to the north wall; the south chapel, built in brick and cut stone, dates from the 19th century, as do the six windows with trefoil lintels illuminating the nave, the rose window pierced in the facade and the gallery installed at its back. A brick vault replaced the 16th century vault on the nave. The semicircular portal, extensively reworked, was formerly protected by a timber-framed porch. The three parts of the building are clearly differentiated in the exterior elevation of the building. The nave, not very high, as well as the choir, with its more slender roof, are dominated by the silhouette of the bell tower. Square in plan, it has four levels punctuated by dripstones; the upper level is pierced with two twin bays per face. The bell tower is crowned by a timber spire. The Sauvegarde de l’Art Français granted aid of 50,000 F in 1993 for the repair of the exterior masonry.
Translated by Google •
Tip by
3
20.9 km
Église Sainte Montaine
Highlight • Other
The church consists of two successive rectangles, formerly covered by a wooden barrel vault with exposed beams. The very prominent buttresses of the nave, doubled at the corners, date the construction to the 12th or 13th centuries.
The bell tower is supported by internal timbers near the central gable. A document from 1489 informs us that at that time, the church of Sainte Montaine was in need of extensive repairs. The bell tower had to be rebuilt, perhaps following a fire. The current bell tower therefore dates from this period.
The western door is also from the 15th century. Its leaves are adorned with nails of remarkable craftsmanship.
The nave was surrounded to the north and west by a wooden porch, similar to that of Brinon, but of more refined and delicate workmanship. This extension, which serves as a hall and narthex, is called a "caquetoire" in the Sologne region. It dated back to the 16th century and was demolished during the years 1918/1919.
The furnishings are very important in both quantity and quality. Among the 18th-century liturgical vestments are two dalmatics and an 18th-century pastoral stole. There is also a 16th-century statue of the Virgin Mary and a 17th-century statue of Saint Germain, a 17th-century painting of the miracle of Saint Montaine, and a 17th-century processional cross of Christ on the Cross.
The bell tower is supported by internal timbers near the central gable. A document from 1489 informs us that at that time, the church of Sainte Montaine was in need of extensive repairs. The bell tower had to be rebuilt, perhaps following a fire. The current bell tower therefore dates from this period.
The western door is also from the 15th century. Its leaves are adorned with nails of remarkable craftsmanship.
The nave was surrounded to the north and west by a wooden porch, similar to that of Brinon, but of more refined and delicate workmanship. This extension, which serves as a hall and narthex, is called a "caquetoire" in the Sologne region. It dated back to the 16th century and was demolished during the years 1918/1919.
The furnishings are very important in both quantity and quality. Among the 18th-century liturgical vestments are two dalmatics and an 18th-century pastoral stole. There is also a 16th-century statue of the Virgin Mary and a 17th-century statue of Saint Germain, a 17th-century painting of the miracle of Saint Montaine, and a 17th-century processional cross of Christ on the Cross.
Translated by Google •
Tip by
B
44.5 km
End point
Parking
Way Types & Surfaces
Way Types
44.1 km
430 m
Surfaces
44.3 km
155 m
< 100 m
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Elevation
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Weather
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Sunday 12 July
39°C
22°C
62 %
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Max wind speed: 15.0 km/h
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Our route recommendations are based on thousands of hikes, rides, and runs completed by other people on komoot.
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