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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Jacques d'Allonnes, built in the 12th century, illustrates the Romanesque architecture of medieval Beauce, a period described by historian Jean Favier as "time of the principalities". It was linked to the family of Blois, Counts of Dreux and Chartres, and is part of a village of ancient origins, as attested by the archaeological traces of Merovingians (Vth-VIIIth centuries). The adjacent cemetery, studied by INRAP, reveals three layers of burials: limestone sarcophagus, plaster, and then wood, organized in concentric circles.

The church houses a 19th century pendulum, made by Le Pèlerin, recently restored and exhibited in town hall. His documented history began in 1912 thanks to Alain Le Hir's work on Protestantism, although it was mentioned in the thirteenth century by the Chapter of Chartres. The village and its church, studied by the University of Cambridge, were also associated with dark legends, worth in Allonnes the nickname "Allonnes the cursed" in the chronicles.

The monument thus embodies both a Romanesque religious heritage, a Merovingian archaeological site, and an object of study on Beauceronne feudal society. Its cemetery, among the oldest in the region, offers a rare testimony of funeral practices between the 5th and 8th centuries, while the building itself reflects the political dynamics of the medieval principalities.

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