Historic Villages of Nogent-le-Roi, Gallardon and Crécy-Couvé

Take a drive through the Eure Valley and experience its many picturesque villages.

Nogent-le-Roi

With its lovely town center and half-timbered houses, Nogent-le-Roi is one of the region’s most charming cities. The church of Saint-Sulpice (15th to 16th century) is known for its stained-glass windows.
Literally belonging to the “roi” or king, Nogent-le-Roi was given to King Philippe Auguste in 1218. Several generations of royals would spend time in the various chateaus that have risen above the town. Today, it is a private chateau built in 1860 and surrounded by a park that is visible on the hill.

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Gallardon

Rising above this small village is the surprising ruin of a medieval tower. The tower, part of a fortress, was built in the 12th century and destroyed by the future Charles VII in 1421. An interesting vestige of the Middle Ages and its many wars.

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Crécy-Couvé and the Marquise de Pompadour

The Vallée Royale de l’Eure was home to another, very famous royal mistress, the Marquise de Pompadour. The chateau no longer exists but the village where it was built holds several vestiges of her time spent in the region.

A great beauty, Jeanne Antoine Poisson was 24 years old when she became the mistress of Louis XV. Her “reign” as the Marquise de Pompadour would last for 20 years, during which time she held great power. She was a patron of the arts, making the court of Louis XV the most splendid in Europe. And of course, she spent some of the realm’s riches on herself. She particularly enjoyed restoring chateaus, and the king gave her the chateau at Crécy-Couvé in 1745.

Unfortunately, between the French Revolution and the wealthy American who first bought and then sold the building piece by piece, only traces of the park-like gardens remain. The village does contain an18th-century ice house, courthouse and hospital, all protected historic monuments.

Worth noting: Eight paintings by Boucher, created for the marquise’s boudoir at Crécy-Couvé, are now part of the Frick Collection in New York.