Eglise Saint-Pierre et Saint-Paul
ChurchHidden Treasure
Joyau discret de Beauce, cette église du XVIIe siècle abrite une charpente lambrissée peinte d'une exceptionnelle rareté, vestige vivant du Grand Siècle et des fastes louisquatorziens.
History
Nestling in the peaceful village of Bailleau-Armenonville, on the edge of the Beauce region of Chartres, the church of Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul is one of those monuments you'd never know you were there until you pushed open the door. Its sober facade, crowned by a slender bell tower that catches the eye across the plain, conceals an unexpectedly rich interior - that of a church completely redesigned in the 17th century, probably under the impetus of the royal building projects that were then taking place throughout the Gallardon valley. What makes Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul absolutely unique in the religious heritage of the Eure-et-Loir is its polygonal panelled roof frame, one of the few of its kind to have been completely preserved from the 17th century. The underside of the upturned rafters and crossbeams is adorned with shingles painted with decorative motifs, a true "French-style" painted ceiling that evokes the interiors of the houses of notable people in the classical era rather than the sober tradition of rural buildings. This ceiling is a work in its own right, a rare testimony to the penetration of courtly tastes into the rural world. As you enter the nave, your eye naturally wanders upwards to the framework, seduced by the interplay of polychrome motifs on the light-coloured wood. The single nave, punctuated by a calm rhythm, leads to a canted apse that accentuates the restrained character of the whole. The light, filtered through sober windows, envelops the space in a classical softness. The surrounding countryside of the Beauce region stretches to the horizon, with the distant silhouette of Chartres Cathedral towering over the plain on a clear day. Bailleau-Armenonville is part of an area rich in châteaux and manor houses from the Louis XIV period, many of which were linked to the major works on the Maintenon aqueduct. For heritage lovers and curious walkers alike, this church is an ideal stop-off point on the loop between Chartres and Maintenon.
Architecture
The church of Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul has a simple plan with a single nave, typical of rural parish buildings in the Paris Basin. The nave ends in a canted apse - a polygonal solution that avoids the semi-circular Gothic apse and reflects the classical taste of the 17th century for clear geometric shapes. The whole structure is topped by a polygonal panelled roof, entirely preserved from the reconstruction period, which is the most remarkable architectural feature of the monument. The sober, well-ordered west facade is topped by a campanile - a light tower-turret that marks out the building on the Beauce plain without resorting to the heavy forms of a traditional masonry bell tower. The interior reveals the hidden wealth of the ensemble. The underside of the rafters forming the trusses and the upturned joists is lined with shingles decorated with decorative paintings in the taste of the Grand Siècle: foliage, cartouches, floral and geometric motifs enliven the entire ceiling, transforming the worship space into a polychrome showcase of a rare refinement for a village church. This treatment of the painted ceiling, directly inspired by the aristocratic interiors of the period, is one of the rare surviving examples dating entirely from the 17th century in the Centre-Val de Loire region. The building materials, Beauceron limestone and timber, are part of the local building tradition, but the way they were used bears witness to the work of craftsmen in tune with contemporary decorative trends.
Related Figures
Louis XIV — dont les grands chantiers régionaux (aqueduc de Maintenon) ont très probablement stimulé l'embellissement de l'église au XVIIe siècleVauban (Sébastien Le Prestre de) — ingénieur royal supervisant les chantiers militaires et hydrauliques de la région sous Louis XIVJules Hardouin-Mansart — architecte du roi, dont l'influence stylistique classique rayonnait sur tous les chantiers de la région chartraineFrançoise d'Aubigné, marquise de Maintenon — dont le château voisin était au cœur de la vie de cour régionale lors des travaux de l'aqueducLes artisans peintres anonymes du XVIIe siècle — auteurs des peintures décoratives sur bardeaux, joyau méconnu de l'art ornemental rural
