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Origin and history

The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption of Fontaine-Chalendray, built in the Middle Ages, was originally the private chapel of a castle today disappeared. Its Romanesque architecture is characterized by a western facade framed by flat foothills and a three-piece portal, topped by a representation of the twelve apostles, whose heads were damaged. The bedside, rectangular in shape, is rhythmized by large arches and famous for the balance of its proportions. Renovated in 2009, the church preserves stained glass windows from various periods, some medieval and other contemporaries.

Fontaine-Chalendray, where the church stands, historically belonged to successive noble families, including the Viscounts of Aulnay from the Carolingian era, then the Clermont-Nesle, the Montberon, and finally the Montmorency-Laval in the 17th century. These lords, bound by matrimonial alliances, marked local history until the 19th century. According to a state of the parishes of 1686, the land was then owned by Mademoiselle de Fénelon, before passing to the Marquis de Laval. The village, centered on a Gallo-Roman agricultural farm (village), developed around a spring, at the origin of the river Antenne.

The church, classified as historical monuments in 1992 and fully protected by a decree of 2016, bears witness to the religious and seigneurial importance of the place. Its inscription also includes the surrounding soil, which may contain archaeological remains. The village, which is rural and has a dominant agricultural occupation, also retains the traces of a medieval motte and ancient wells, reflecting its feudal and agricultural past.

The region, subject to an oceanic climate, has seen its economy historically based on viticulture and cereals, as mentioned in a 17th century document. The Antenna Valley, where the eponymous river flows, is now classified as a Natura 2000 site, highlighting its natural heritage complementary to that of the church.

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