The best traffic-free bike rides around Chartres

Very nice route, 3/4 of which is in the forest. The few roads used are very quiet. The advantage of this route, if you like, is that it can easily be transformed into a mountain bike route. Just look to the right or left of the cycle path and there is a single track. Have a good trip to all those who wish to take it.

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.

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.

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.

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).

The place to take a break in Illiers-Combray.

Very beautiful church from the 15th century with a painted wooden beam ceiling.

Unfortunately, the church was not accessible when I visited (mid-September 2024). You could only look in through a gate and the dance of death depictions on the left side were not really visible. In front of them were transparencies with skeleton drawings. Maybe those were the depictions...