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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

Saint-Hilaire Church, located in Nogent-le-Rotrou (Eure-et-Loir), is the oldest of the three churches in the city. Its initial construction dates back to the 11th century, with a choir built in the 13th century. The nave, tower and bell tower, Renaissance style, date back to the 16th century. The building adopts a basilical structure without transept, with a polygonal bedside and a nave of seven spans. The plaster and stone warhead vaults, as well as slate and tile covers, characterize its architecture.

The stained glass, made in the 19th and 20th centuries, comes from the workshops Lorin de Chartres (14 stained glass windows), Le Dien d'Argentan (1866) and Bernard Campin (1947). The organ, built in 1876 by the Bordeaux factor Georges Wenner, has about 700 pipes. Classified as a historic monument in 2003, the church reopened in 2013 after 17 years of closure, now home to a remarkable furniture and artistic heritage.

The heptagonal apse and the bell tower, partly dated between the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries, bear witness to medieval construction campaigns. In the 19th century, major works included the laying of stained glass windows, the suppression of the parish cemetery, and the addition of false plaster vaults. The church, owned by the commune, depends on the parish of Saint-Lubin du Perche and the dean of Perche.

Historical sources set its terminus ante quem at 1031, making it the oldest attested church of Nogent-le-Rotrou. Stylistic markers of the apse and bell tower suggest dating between the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries for these parts. The nave, flamboyant ogival style, and the Renaissance bell tower (completed in 1660) illustrate architectural evolutions over six centuries.

The materials used, such as local limestone and slate, reflect regional resources. The roofs, in polygonal croupes for the choir and in dome for the bell tower, add to the singularity of the monument. This complex structure, which is entirely classified by decree of 26 September 2003, is complemented by the arches which are lambrissed in the middle (nef) and in the cul-de-four (chœur).

Today, the church of Saint Hilaire remains an active place of worship and a major testimony of the religious and architectural heritage of the Perch. Its organ, stained glass windows and millennial history make it a must-see site of Eure-et-Loir, open to the public since 2013 after a long period of restoration.

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