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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The parish church Saint-Éloi-Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Crécy-Couvé, located in the department of Eure-et-Loir in the Centre-Val de Loire region, is a religious building whose origins date back to at least the thirteenth century. Former chapel of the medieval castle, it became parish church as early as 1216. Between the 15th and 16th centuries, the building was enlarged and decorated, although few elements of this period remained today. In the 18th century, under the impetus of the Marquise de Pompadour, which received the estate as a gift of Louis XV around 1750, the church was profoundly transformed: a five-sided apse and a western facade with pediment were added, marking its architectural evolution.

As early as 1908, the church's high altar, including its altarpiece, tabernacle and stall, was classified as an object. This classification extends to the three paintings of the eighteenth century adorning the altar: the Adoration of Shepherds (according to Carl Van Loo), Saint John the Baptist and Saint Eloi de Noyon (attributed to Joseph-Marie Vien). The building itself was listed as a historical monument in 1992. A notable feature of this church is its bell tower, whose arrow, weighing 8.5 tons and showing a 1.5 metre shift from its axis, required its withdrawal in 2020 for security reasons, after a temporary closure in 2019.

The church thus illustrates centuries of religious and architectural history, mixing medieval heritage, Baroque transformations and contemporary issues of preservation. Its link with the Marquise de Pompadour and the presence of classified works make it a remarkable testimony to the heritage of Eure-et-Loir, while posing technical challenges related to the stability of its emblematic structure.

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