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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Saint-Georges of Saint-Georges-sur-Eure has its origins in the fourth century, with the construction of an oratory dedicated to Saint George, martyred around 303. Two centuries later, monks from Saint-Père-en-Vallée Abbey (Chartres) erected a chapel there. Between 1250 and 1270, this chapel gave way to a church, marking the birth of the parish, which became the capital of a seigneury dependent on the Chapter of Chartres. The building took its present form around 1500, with the addition of the South collateral, mixing Gothic elements (windows with broken arches) and Renaissance (bells in the middle of the spectrum).

The architecture of the church reflects a building spanning centuries, combining claystone, local flint and Berchères stone. The southern side portal (1542), classified as Fine Arts, is distinguished by its sculptures, including a Saint George terrorizing the dragon. Four gables decorated with flowers and gargoyles overlook the stained glass windows, an architectural rarity. Inside, the 13th century nave (chamber vault) contrasts with the 14th century lateral nave (dogives vault), which houses a wooden statue of the patron saint and a decorative fake organ.

The stained glass windows, signed by three generations of the Lorin dynasty (1893-1950), illustrate their know-how. Bay #4, Tree of Jesse (early 16th century), preserves an original fragment of king among modern diamond trees. The current bell tower (1927) replaces a precedent in ruins, basing itself on an unfinished 16th century tower. Until 1920, the church was girded by the communal cemetery, now displaced. Since 2013, the renovated surroundings allow to admire the old garden of the rectory, open to the public.

The church, whose southern collateral has been inscribed in the Historical Monuments since 1926, belongs to the parish of La Bonne-Nouvelle in Val de l'Eure. Its history reflects the artistic and social evolutions of the region, from paleo-Christian origins to its contemporary renovations, while preserving unique medieval and reborn elements.

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