Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Notre-Dame de Boissy-en-Drouais found its origins in the 12th century, built under the impulse of Guillaume de Champagne, then bishop of Chartres and local lord. This first building replaced two older churches (Saint Vincent and Saint Stephen), destroyed or disappeared after the Norman invasions of the 9th and 10th centuries. These churches initially depended on the Parisian abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, before their trace disappeared from the diocesan archives in the 15th century. The construction of the 12th century thus marked a religious renaissance for the village, under the episcopal authority cartraine.

In the 15th and 16th centuries, the church was almost entirely rebuilt under the direction of Saint-Père-en-Vallée de Chartres Abbey, transforming its medieval appearance into a flamboyant Gothic building. The eight ogival windows, the portal decorated with sculptures and the slate bell tower arrow date from this period. The monument then became a symbol of local prosperity, with 60 parishioners recorded in the 13th century under the dean of Brezolles. The French Revolution marked a sharp turn: the church was stripped of its furniture and ornaments in 1793, while its statue of Notre-Dame and elements of the portal were mutilated.

Ranked a historic monument in 1927, the church now retains remarkable elements such as its pulpit of 1759, its altarpiece and its work bench, all listed in the inventory of protected objects. The stained glass windows, restored in 2018 by the Lorin de Chartres workshops, and the historical graffiti on its walls testify to its central role in community life. The bell tower, with its bell of 1888 (520 kg), and the quadrangular sundial recall local craftsmanship. Despite the vicissitudes of history, the building remains a living heritage, maintained by the municipality and highlighted by recent interventions such as the colouring of the oculi in 2021 under the aegis of the DRAC.

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