The best road cycling routes around Poisvilliers

A walk that is doable even in rainy and cool weather thanks to its cycle paths

Very beautiful walk, very bucolic

The Saint-Just-et-Sainte-Anne church of Fresnay-le-Gilmert is a religious monument located in the town of the same name, in the Centre-Val de Loire region. The available data does not specify its period of construction or its architectural evolution, but its existence testifies to a local heritage rooted in the rural landscape. Churches of this type, often at the heart of villages, played a central role in community life. They served as a place of worship, gathering, and identity marker for the inhabitants. In Centre-Val de Loire, as elsewhere in France, these buildings also reflected the religious and social practices of successive eras, although the specific details for Fresnay-le-Gilmert are not documented here.

The current church was built in 1547 on the site of an earlier church dating back to the 11th century. The work was financed by the Brézé family, who were lords of Gasville-Oisème at the time. The church was restored over the following centuries, particularly in the 19th century. The church's façade is its most remarkable feature. It is adorned with a Renaissance portal, surmounted by a sculpted tympanum depicting Christ in Majesty. The church's interior is also remarkable. It is adorned with sculpted columns and capitals, as well as several religious paintings. The Church of Saint Gregory is a remarkable historical monument, a testament to Renaissance religious architecture in France. It is also an important place of worship for the parish community. The church is open to the public upon request.

On March 2, 1944, starting at 4:50 p.m., the Chartres air base was attacked for about twenty minutes by 84 B-17 bombers in 4 waves of 21 planes from the 388th BG, 399th BG and 100th BG. Of the church, only the bell tower remained intact.

It resembles a Romanesque church, its pointed roof in local tiles, its four-sided bell tower is made of slate. The church of Poisvilliers has a nave whose base is from the 12th century, remodeled in the 16th century. The walls are made of various rubble blocks, the buttresses are made of cut stone. The west gable was redone in the 18th century. The date appears on the keystone of the door in the center (MDCCLXX /1770) The paneled vault is a simple vessel, the nave is widened to the south. The choir, narrower than the nave, dates from the 12th century and ends with a semicircular apse. It was transformed in the 16th century into a three-sided apse. The altarpiece is neoclassical in the Louis XVI style. It is made of fir. The pulpit is made of oak. In 1844, the high altar and the bell were repaired. A special tax is required. Thirty taxed forts are summoned. There are two stained glass windows in flamboyant Gothic style (the closest to the choir) on each side. There are three stained glass windows of Gothic inspiration and a Romanesque stained glass window. On the plan dating from 1852, we can see a porch that has now disappeared. The bell was installed in 1810. It was named Marie-Céléstine. Damaged, it was repaired in 1956 and named Louise-Simone. The Stations of the Cross were made by Mr Bernacchi in 2000. We discovered that Poisvilliers was a parish until 1807. It was then united with that of Berchères-la-Maingot. We found old plans attesting to the presence of a presbytery opposite the church.

The cathedral is the seat of the bishop of the Roman Catholic diocese of Chartres

Coming from Berchères la Maingot, Place Pasteur, the farm is on the left, you have to enter the courtyard, and it is again on the left.