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| Chartres, the cathedral city | |
Chartres is dominated by the
Cathedral of Notre Dame, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the most
complete and best preserved of all the gothic cathedrals. This majestic
bible of stone and glass was built in the 12th and 13th centuries and has
a unique collection of stained-glass windows. The International
Stained-glass Window Centre and the master glassmakers who work there have
made Chartres the world capital of stained glass. The city’s attraction
also stems from the lower town, the mediaeval quarter where narrow streets,
humpback bridges and wash houses line the banks of the Eure, while the
shopping district has all manner of shops, a flower market and some
excellent restaurants. Whether you come for the International Organ
Festival, the Journées Lyriques music festival, or simply want to find
out what’s at La Maison Picassiette, Chartres remains an essential part
of any cultural visit of the area. |
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| The Upper Loir Valley, a valley of peace | |
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its sources not far from Illiers-Combray, the Loir meanders gently along.
It was the area around this little town that inspired Marcel Proust to
write «In Search of Lost Time». Aunt Léonie’s house is full of
reminders of the author’s holidays here. In the fortified township of
Bonneval, the Loir flows into ditches in front of the ramparts, a
refreshing place to explore on foot or by electric boat. It continues
peacefully down to Châteaudun, which has one of the area’s largest
castles, its keep standing more than 60 m above the river! This is the
amazing setting for a spectacular exhibition on food and gastronomy in the
Middle Ages. The Loir finally leaves the Département of Eure-et-Loir
after Montigny-le-Gannelon, where the private château of the Montmorency
Laval family, still the family home, overlooks the river. |
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| Illiers-Combray | |
| Fiction meets reality in Illiers-Combray, full of evocative memories of Marcel Proust, the author of « In Search of Lost Time ». A visit to Aunt Léonie’s house, the only remaining real link to Proust, is a fascinating insight into the author’s personal life in documents, portraits, family heirlooms and objects from everyday life. Dominated by the imposing church of St Jacques, with its broad nave lined with an arch of multicoloured wood, the town is the starting point for number of routes exploring Proustian sites such as the Le Pré Catelan, Uncle Amiot’s garden, and places such as those featured in Swann’s Way and Guermantes Way. |  |
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| Arrou | |
| Nestling
at the gateway of the Le Perche-Gouët region, Arrou is a charming little
village on the river Yerre in the Upper Loir Valley, and a wonderfully
quiet and relaxing place. Surrounded by lovely countryside, it is a haven
for outdoor activities, with a wide choice of things to do, such as
walking, fishing, horse riding and swimming. Other sights :
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| La Bazoche-Gouët | |
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La Bazoche-Gouët is the
only one of the five baronies of Le Perche to have retained the name of
the lords of Le Petit Perche in around 1050. In this area of hills,
forests, sources and rivers, pioneering monks came to found a priory
dependent on Pontlevoy Abbey (near Blois). The church of Saint John the
Baptist is mentioned in a monastery charter dating from 1144. What is
striking is its size and the rich decoration of its flamboyant portal,
which contrasts with the more austere grison stone western facade. |
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| Bonneval | |
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name Bonneval probably comes from the French for good valley, fertile
valley. This mediaeval township, in the Upper Loir Valley between the La Beauce and Le Perche regions, is also known as the “Venice of La Beauce”. A fortified town since the Middle Ages, when the Benedictine abbey of Saint Florentin was founded here, the Loir flows into its defensive ditches, which you can explore by electric boat. |
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| Châteaudun | |
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between the regions of La Beauce and Le Perche, Châteaudun was built on a
limestone outcrop. The château is a rare example of feudal, gothic and
Renaissance architecture, and its 12th century circular keep stands more
than 60 m above the Loir. It belonged to Jehan de Dunois, a companion of
Joan of Arc, and has a Holy Chapel, a gothic wing and an elegant
Renaissance facade. This is the majestic setting for a spectacular
permanent exhibition on gastronomy in the Middle Ages, featuring almost
620 m² of recreated scenes, including a medieval banquet, the Prince’s
table, how a kitchen was organised and the produce and spices used at the
time. The old quarter huddled between the remains of the ramparts is home
to a number of fine vernacular and religious buildings, such as the former
Abbaye de la Madeleine and the medieval street of St Lubin with its
half-timbered houses. |
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| Cloyes-sur-le-Loir | |
| Cloyes-sur-le-Loir
is situated on the fringes of two different but very unusual valleys. When the conditions are right, in May and June the Yerre Valley is thick with a carpet of white flowers, so tightly packed that you cannot see the river. Where the water table of La Beauce comes to the surface is the Aigre valley. Bordered by wash houses and water mills, it is an excellent trout and pike fishing river. It was this landscape that inspired Emile Zola to set his 1886 novel The Earth, part of the Rougon-Macquart series, in the Romilly-sur-Aigre region. The town of Cloyes is dominated by the Château de Montigny-le-Gannelon, the Renaissance home of the Montmorency-Laval family, which has a sweeping view of the Upper Loir Valley. |
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| Nogent-le-Retrou | |
| Capital of the ancient province of Le Perche, Nogent-le-Rotrou is naturally situated in the heart of the Le Perche Regional Nature Park. The town is proud of its richly historical past, embodied by the Château Saint Jean and the Duke of Sully. The château (11th – 15th century) dominates the Huisne valley, which winds its way through the meadows. The local heritage also includes three churches worth visiting, including the Church of Notre Dame, which has a Nativity scene that is probably the work of Italian artists, and the Pâty district, lined with fine old houses. Le Perche is a region just right for exploring on foot or by bicycle, with its wide open spaces and distant, verdant landscapes, featuring a number of manor houses and other buildings typical of the traditional architecture of Le Perche. | 
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| Brou | |
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Brou was formerly the barony of
Le Perche-Gouët, and from the Middle Ages it was called “la noble”.
This little town on the banks of the Ozanne still has some remains of its
15th and 16th century fortified walls, together with the chapel of Saint
Mark and church of Saint Lubin. Ideally situated just a few kilometres
from the A11 autoroute, Brou is a delightfully welcoming and commercially
bustling place, perfect for anyone wanting to spend a weekend in the
country. With its leisure park (water park), swin golf (family golf)
course and many walking trails it is the ideal destination for a family
leisure weekend. |
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Crédits photo : CDT28 - Chartres |
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