The best traffic-free bike rides around Bretagnolles

Eure Valley :-)

Built in the 16th century and constructed from white stone from the Boncourt quarry, the church has a brown tile roof, accompanied by a bell tower and a belfry covered in slate. A small canopy, a vestibule, protects the sanctuary door, rebuilt in 1789. The bell was cast in the 17th century.

The construction of the original church of Sorel dates back to the 10th century. In 1113, this church was destroyed during the siege of the fortress of Sorel by the troops of Henry VIII of England coming from Normandy. Its identical reconstruction was unfortunately halted by a fire in 1134. The current church was rebuilt starting in the 13th century, with the chevet completed in the 15th century, and the first two bays of the nave and the northern seigneurial chapel in the 16th century. The bell tower was built in the 17th century by blinding a window. The building is constructed of flint, lime, and white stone on a sandstone base. The upper part is made of Vernon stone. The tiled roof is supported by a beautiful rafter frame whose tie beams are decorated with chimera heads, also called "howling devils." In the choir, the 19th-century altar recalls medieval sculptures. An interesting collection of stained-glass windows dating from 1850. After extensive renovations, masses have been celebrated again since 2007.

very beautiful view of the castle

A village full of character with a rich industrial past. Visit its church and the ruins of its castle. If you're interested in Calvados, a guided tour of the Morin winery is a must.

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This brick and stone church, located near the castle, was built in two phases, from approximately 1500 to 1540. Construction periods: 4th quarter of the 15th century, first half of the 16th century

The Notre-Dame Priory, founded around 1128 by Rahier de Muzy, was dependent on Coulombs Abbey and housed a community of Benedictines. This community was apparently never very large, as Eudes Rigaud's repeated visits in the 13th century only recorded four monks. In 1255, the monks no longer lived together at the priory due to lack of space. By 1269, the buildings were in too poor condition to accommodate the archbishop. Adjoining the convent buildings, the choir of the parish church of Saint John the Baptist was used by the monks. This 12th-century church, built "in a single heap," underwent several embellishments in the 18th century, but on July 21, 1794, it was probably converted into a saltpeter works, along with the entire priory. The church reopened for worship on March 22, 1795. A campaign of renovations restored the buttresses of the west facade with bricks at the end of the 19th century. The bell tower, damaged in 1944 during the fighting on the Avre, was restored in 1959. The monument was closed for another period from 1939 to 1950. The bells were electrified in 1985. Heating was installed in 1990. A restoration project for the entire building was adopted by the municipality in 2003. The roofing work—repairing the roof box—and the complete restoration of the north facade—raising the apron of the openings by approximately 40 centimeters, repairing all the buttresses and old lime plaster—were completed in 2006. The Church of St. John the Baptist has been listed on the supplementary list of historic monuments since December 2005. A competition to select a master glassmaker was held in April 2009. The winning candidate, Coline Fabre, was entrusted with the task of creating The stained-glass windows throughout the building. Four bays were installed in the spring of 2010 and eight in the summer of 2014, so that all bays on the north, east, and south facades were fitted with stained-glass windows. Rehabilitation work on the east and west facades and the installation of the stained-glass windows on the west facade began on November 20, 2018, and was completed at the end of June 2019. The stained-glass windows were inaugurated on September 13, 2019. Since February 2021, the bells have once again rung daily at 12:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.