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The charm of Nogent le Roi.

The Moulin de Mormoulins is a watermill located on the Eure River in the hamlet of Mormoulins. This mill dates back to the 18th and 19th centuries and is a listed historical monument. You can admire the old stone building, the wooden wheel, and the canal that diverts water from the river as you pass in front of the mill. The mill is surrounded by green fields and trees, creating a peaceful and relaxing atmosphere.

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.

Very beautiful pond

Mentioned in 1159 as a possession of the chapter of Chartres, the oldest parts of the church of Saint-Léger, the nave and western façade, must date back to the 11th century. The nave, 15 m long and 7 m wide, is built from small rubble stones embedded in mortar. Only the corner quoins of the façade and the semicircular arch of the entrance door are made of dressed stone. In 1514, a larger choir (10 m X 10 m) finished by a flat wall, was added to the east. Some of its pointed arched bays have retained their beautiful tracery. The entire choir and nave are covered by a beautiful framework in the shape of an inverted hull. A significant decoration, created in the 18th century, woodwork, stalls, work bench, glory arch, lectern, and communion railing have been fortunately preserved. Traces of medieval wall paintings and a coat of arms were spotted on the walls, as well as ancient graffiti on the exterior. A 12th-century stone baptismal font and a 15th-century stone statue of Saint Léger are listed as Historic Monuments. A slate bell tower, topped with a slate spire, rises above the slightly recessed gable of the western façade. The Sauvegarde de l'Art Français (French Art Protection Agency) granted aid of 100,000 francs in 1992 and then 40,000 francs in 1993 for essential work on the framework and roof.

large bird reserve and nautical activities

The construction could date back to the beginning of the 12th century. The nave ends with a chancel with a four-sided apse. A bell tower outside the work is located against the west wall. A seigneurial chapel was built to the north of the chancel. The study of the framework has made it possible to determine several construction phases: 1117-1190, 1274, 1487-1520. The interior walls retain a painted historiated decoration on the back of the west portal, probably representing a dance of death, which could date back to the 1500s. The large funeral chapel built between 1577 and 1585 probably goes back to the architect Métezeau. Its decoration is representative of the end of Mannerism and the Henri IV style. The stained glass windows were restored by the master glassmaker Raphaël Lardeur and were installed in 1947. Lardeur also created the mosaic Stations of the Cross.

The whole construction is homogeneous: in Vernon limestone, it is punctuated by buttresses using blocks of sandstone and grison in the lower part. The church is largely lit by the four bays with flamboyant tracery that have been pierced to the north and south. The building is covered with a rafter frame forming entirely paneled trusses, whose stencil decoration was taken up in the 19th century by painting companies from Dreux. But it is probably the countryside of the early 16th century that attracts attention. Indeed, on the west facade has been grafted a Renaissance portal, in soft limestone, consisting of two pilasters decorated with candelabras with capitals supporting an entablature, above the arched portal, finely chiseled with a floral scroll. The whole is surmounted by a niche with a canopy framed by two fish and two balusters, and crowned by a motif similar to a dormer window. This remarkable element from the first decade of the 16th century reflects the first introductions of the Renaissance style in religious architecture. We also think of the portal of the church of Pierres sur la vallée de l'Eure. The interior of the church reflects through its furnishings the large orders made from 1759 to renew the decor of rural parish churches. We note in particular the large monumental altarpiece of the choir, but also the work bench and especially the pulpit, in wood and plaster, installed in 1759, by implanting an access staircase in the rear wall. This set of furnishings accompanies the painted decors of the 19th century, whether it be the false-appliance of the walls or the stenciled decoration of the paneled vault. The work campaign that has just ended required two functional phases: the first was devoted to sanitation work, roofing of the nave and bell tower, restoration of the sculptures (west portal), and stained glass windows; the second focused on the exterior coatings, the pillars of the bell tower belfry, lighting, cleaning of the painted vault and the conservation treatment of the furniture. This major project led by chief architect Régis Martin was supported by the Sauvegarde de l’Art français with a donation of €6,000 in 2017.