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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The church of Notre-Dame des Étilleux, located in the rural commune of Étilleux (Eure-et-Loir), is an emblematic monument combining Romanesque and Gothic architecture. Reported from 1117 onwards as an outbuilding of Saint-Père de Chartres Abbey, it became a parish church in the 13th century. Its nave, the oldest part, dates back to the late 12th or early 13th century, while its bell tower, decorated with sculptures, dates from the late 15th century. The choir, rebuilt at the beginning of the sixteenth century, preserves elements of the flamboyant Gothic, illustrating a stylistic evolution typical of the parish buildings of the region.

The church is part of a historical context where religious buildings were often enlarged or modified between the 15th and 16th centuries, reflecting both the spiritual needs of rural communities and the artistic influences of the period. The bell tower and the choir, added after the nave, bear witness to this transformational dynamic. Partially classified in 1906 for her 14th century Virgin with Child and fully listed as a Historical Monument in 2003, the church today embodies a preserved architectural and spiritual heritage, anchored in the landscape of the Perch Regional Natural Park.

The town of Étilleux, marked by a dominant agricultural occupation (99.7% of the land in 2018), has seen its population decline since the 19th century, from 479 inhabitants in 1866 to 204 in 2023. The church, at the heart of this rural territory, remains a symbol of the local historical and cultural continuity, despite the demographic and climatic hazards (risks of flooding and withdrawal-swelling of clay soils). Its inscription in the title of historical monuments underscores its heritage importance in a department rich in medieval buildings, such as the nearby Grand Fresnay castle, registered in 1978.

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