The best traffic-free bike rides around Happonvilliers

Magnificent ceiling with the possibility of lighting it up

The church of Saint-Germain-des-Grois, dedicated to Saint Germain, is a charming church in the canton of Rémalard in the heart of Perche. Built in the Romanesque style with its 12th-century choir, it was considerably enlarged during the 15th and 16th centuries, the periods in which the construction of the side aisles took place. The church was under the jurisdiction of the abbey of Saint-Lomer-de-Blois for its presentation to the parish priest. Its curious exterior volume attracts even more attention as the right wing of a building adjoining the church largely obscures the left side of its façade, in line with the aisle; this construction, moreover, resembles that of an old priory. The building consists of a nave of three bays, flanked by side aisles opening onto the central nave through large arches with a broken profile resting on large circular piers and a choir of one bay in the extension of the central nave ending in a flat chevet. A modest sacristy adjoins the building to the southeast. Outside, the side aisles are covered with successive gables, with the exception of the first bay of the north aisle covered by a square-plan, squat bell tower whose exterior volume, close to that of a bell tower, barely dominates the roof of the building which leans against its base. The three gables covering the right aisle do not follow an identical profile, the slope of the framework and the roof of the first of them, to the west, having been the subject of a significant restoration in the 19th century. At the same time, the two gables of the north aisle were also restored. As for the choir, of smaller volume, it has retained on its north and south sides a cornice with modillions; it constitutes the oldest part of the building. Inside, the nave is covered with a recently restored paneled vault, while the side aisles are vaulted on ribbed vaults, the ribs of which are received by ornate corbels. The church is lit thanks to the large bays with radiating tracery pierced in the walls of the side aisles. Among the notable elements of the furniture, it is worth mentioning the two monumental stone altarpieces which adorn the side altars, works of the 17th and 18th centuries; that of the south aisle houses statues of Saint Sebastian, Saint Joseph and Saint Germain and a finely worked gilded wooden tabernacle from the 17th century, with a dome and small columns. For drainage, the restoration of the masonry, particularly the buttresses, and for the restoration of the lower roof of the bell tower, the Sauvegarde de l’Art français granted a grant of 70,000 F in 1999.

superb car-free road

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...

The church has a Latin cross plan. It has a single nave and a flat chevet. A small building is attached to the chevet. A bell tower flanks the building. Buttresses support the drip walls and the gable wall. Pointed arch bays with tracery illuminate the building. The portal, in a low arch, has its external arched voussure.

Church built in the 12th and 16th centuries. Listed apse from the 12th century. 4-storey bell tower. Corner buttress bell with staircase turret. Renaissance portal. Large Gothic window above the portal. 16th century roof and nave. Stone statue of a bishop, 16th century paintings.

Very pretty trompe l'oeil

Between the green hills of Perche, the Saint-Denis church contains a 16th century baptistery listed as a Historic Monument. Explanatory plaque at the entrance. This church is Romanesque in style and has a rounded apse and a quadrangular bell tower. The baptismal font dates from the 16th century. The church is surrounded by walls made of Saint-Denis stone.