As usual lately, digging into my travel memory found out that only have picture on the church. I will post an introduction to the town in my black and white series, no pictures. The town of Nogent le Rotrou is worth the detour to see more, me think, Therefore, this is my take on this is Nogent le Rotrou !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
The town of Nogent-le-Rotrou is located in the Eure-et-Loir department no, 28 in the Centre-Val de Loire region of my belle France,,It is in the heart of the Perche Regional Natural Park, which extends across parts of the Eure-et-Loir, Orne, Loir-et-Cher, Sarthe, and Eure departments. It is 155 km from Paris, 57 km from Chartres, 107 km from Orléans, 75 km from Le Mans. 150 km from Versailles, and 342 km from my current home, Until 1972, Nogent-le-Rotrou was situated on the N155 , today D955 road, which connected Orléans to Saint-Malo via Alençon and Fougères. Until 2006, it was located on N 23 , today the D923 road, which connected Chartres (Paris) to Nantes via Le Mans and Angers. The N 23 has indeed been superseded by the A11 autoroute since its opening on December 19, 1975. A bypass allows through traffic to avoid the town center. We came from Versailles along the N12, A86, N118 to A10 dir Bordeaux then A11 dir Chartres continue dir Le Mans and get off on exit/sortie 4 Nogent le Rotrou on the D955 road then in town bear right onto rue de Charroyau ,then quick left onto rue des Bouchers continue then left onto Rue Saint Laurent then right onto rue de la Fuye right into the Church Saint Hilaire
Things to see in Nogent le Rotrou tell us of the significant architectural heritage, a legacy of its former political, economic, and religious importance. The Church Saint Hilaire (see post next). Château Saint-Jean (see post), which overlooks the roads from Chartres to Le Mans and from Châteaudun to Bellême. The 155 “Saint-Jean steps” connect the castle to the Paty district, where several Renaissance mansions still stand. In the town center, the courtyard of the former Hôtel-Dieu, founded in 1182, houses the tomb of Sully, dating from 1642, whose Reformed faith prevented burial in the church, and that of his wife, Rachel de Cochefilet. Their sculpted tombs, surmounted by praying figures, are sheltered by a slate-roofed mausoleum. Also in the town center, the Church of Notre-Dame, enlarged in the early 19C and lacking a bell tower, houses a Nativity group from the early 17C. The organ, completely rebuilt, was inaugurated in 1983. The Church of Saint-Laurent, built in the 15C and 16C, was intended for lay people. The simplicity of its facade contrasts with the richness of its interior furnishings, including a 15C Entombment. It houses several objects, including the painting The Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence after Charles Le Brun. The former Saint-Denis Abbey, gradually abandoned from the 17C onwards and purchased by the town in 1806, still exists today. Some buildings, including the church which measured 76 meters long in the 12C, have been incorporated into the Collége Arsène Meunier Middle school.
A bit of history I like tell us that Nogent le Rotrou was inhabited during the Gallo-Roman period, as evidenced by Roman kilns discovered in the town, as well as foundation remains at the base of the walls of Saint-Jean Castle. It was only in the 6C that Avitus of Micy, Laumer of Corbion, Bomer, and Ulphace evangelized Nogent and its surrounding region. During the Early Middle Ages, the Perche forest served several times as a refuge for armies. In the 10C, the Perche was divided between the lords of Chartres, Châteaudun, Châteauneuf, Corbonnais and Vendôme. In 955, Thibaut I “the Trickster”, Count of Blois, entrusted Nogent to his loyal vassal Rotrou, the first of that name. The lordship of Nogent was erected into the county of Perche at the end of the 11C. It was thanks to its renown that the town was later called Nogent-le-Rotrou. The death of the last Count of Perche from the Rotrou family, Guillaume, in 1226, led to the attachment of Perche to the royal domain in 1227. The county was governed for 200 years by a cadet branch of the royal family, the Counts of Alençon and Perche, descended first from the direct Capetians in the 13C, then from the Capetian-Valois in the 14-15C. Around 1257, Jacques de Château-Gontier ceded Nogent to King Louis IX, who then granted this collection of lordships to Thibaud the Troubadour of Champagne-Navarre, or to his daughter Blanche of Navarre, mother of Saint Louis and Duchess of Brittany, descended from the Rotrou family through her ancestor Julienne du Perche. Nogent-le-Rotrou was severely affected by the upheavals that plagued the Kingdom of France in the 14C and early 15C. During the Hundred Years’ War, the English seized the town in 1359 after a fierce battle on the Saint-Hilaire bridge, before surrendering it the following year at the Peace of Brétigny.
Isabelle of Luxembourg, sister of Constable Louis, and her husband Charles IV of Anjou, Count of Maine and Guise, Baron of Sablé, inherited Nogent, brother of good King René. Their son Charles V, Duke of Anjou, Count of Maine, Guise and Provence, succeeded them. Nogent was held in 1481-1482 by King Louis XI, heir of his cousin Charles V of Anjou-Maine: indeed, through his mother Queen Marie of Anjou, sister of King René and Charles IV of Maine, wife of Charles VII, Louis XI was another descendant of the Bar family; He ceded Nogent in 1482 to Jacques de Luxembourg, Lord of Richebourg, brother of Constable Louis and Isabelle de Luxembourg. Marie de Luxembourg-St-Pol married François de Bourbon, Count of Vendôme, and in 1518 she ceded Nogent to their younger son, François I, Count of St-Pol and husband of Duchess Adrienne d’Estouteville. In 1566, Nogent and Rémalard formed the unregistered Duchy-Peerage of Enghien-le-Français. Two sons of Louis de Condé then shared Nogent: Henri I, Prince of Condé, and his half-brother Charles, Count of Soissons. The inheritance passed to Henry I’s son, Prince Henry II of Condé, who sold Nogent-le-Rotrou in 1624 to the great Sully. Sully then bequeathed the barony of Nogent-le-Rotrou to his younger son, François de Béthune, Duke of Orval and Nogent. The violence of the French revolution had little impact on Nogent-le-Rotrou, which was briefly renamed Nogent-le-Républicain and promoted to district capital, then sub-prefecture. The tombs of Sully and his wife, as well as those of the Rotrou family, were nevertheless desecrated. The area around Nogent-le-Rotrou was the site of a battle between the French and Prussian armies on January 7, 1871, during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871. While Nogent-le-Rotrou had a significant military role in the Middle Ages, this had almost entirely disappeared before the French revolution. In 1875-1876, the Sully barracks were nevertheless built for the 103rd Infantry Regiment of Laval. Nogent-le-Rotrou was not directly affected by the Great War or WWI.
Between January 29, 1939, and February 8, more than 2,000 Spanish refugees fleeing the collapse of the Spanish Republic before Franco’s troops arrived in Eure-et-Loir. Faced with insufficient reception facilities as the Lucé camp and the Châteaudun prison, reopened for the occasion, 53 villages were called upon to help, including Nogent-le-Rotrou. The refugees, primarily women and children as the men were disarmed and detained in the South of France, were vaccinated and subjected to strict quarantine: mail was limited, but food supplies, while not very varied and prepared in the French style, were nevertheless provided. Some of the refugees returned to Spain, encouraged by the French government which facilitated their return. However, in December, 922 chose to remain and were gathered in Dreux and Lucé. Nogent-le-Rotrou became a sub-prefecture again in 1943. The Nazis army bombed Nogent-le-Rotrou on June 15 and 16, 1940, and entered the town on June 17. The town was liberated on August 11, 1944, by the Plainville resistance group, and the following day, General Patton’s Third US Army crossed through it during its blitzkrieg offensive. General de Gaulle entered the town on August 20.
The town of Nogent le Rotrou on its heritage : https://www.ville-nogentlerotrou.fr/culture/
The local Perché area tourist office on Nogent le Rotrou : http://www.perche-tourisme.fr/Explorer/Nos-incontournables/Nogent-le-Rotrou-capitale-du-Perche
The official Les Plus Beaux Detours de France on Nogent le Rotrou : https://www.plusbeauxdetours.com/tous-les-plus-beaux-detours/detour-par-nogent-le-rotrou-en-eure-et-loir/
The Eure et Loir dept 28 tourist office on Nogent le Rotrou : https://www.tourisme28.com/experiences/un-week-end-a-nogent-le-rotrou/
The Centre Val de Loire region tourist office on Nogent le Rotrou tomb of Sully : https://www.loirevalley-france.co.uk/cultural-sites/tombeau-du-duc-de-sully/
The Parc Naturel de la Perche on map see Nogent le Rotrou : https://www.parc-naturel-perche.fr/le-parc-en-action-0/la-carte-du-parc
There you go folks, a nice short and sassy visit to quant old Nogent le Rotrou, for the memories of my road warrior trails. Looking forward to be back, eventually, worth the detour. Again, hope you enjoy the post on this is Nogent le Rotrou !!! as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
