Église Notre-Dame-du-Fort, Étampes

The Collégiale Notre-Dame-du-Fort d'Étampes is a Catholic parish church, dedicated to Notre-Dame, located in the French commune of Étampes and the Essonne department. It is a former collegiate church, associated with the nearby royal castle. It was founded around 1022 by King Robert the Pious. Only the small crypt under the choir remains of this primitive collegiate church, completed around the middle of the 11th century. Probably because of its small size, it was replaced by a new church built in five very close campaigns between 1130 and 1160, plus one for the royal portal to the south which is one of the most remarkable elements of the church. As a whole, the architecture of the church, marked by Parisian and Champagne influences, shows all the stages of the genesis of Gothic architecture, but it is however the late Romanesque style that dominates. The bell tower is the product of three other construction campaigns until about 1180, and is among the most elegant in the Île-de-France region.

At the beginning of the 13th century, the church was fortified; crenellated parapets were placed against the walls and a covered way was built. The result is one of the most complex churches in the region, disfigured on the outside by the defensive elements, but with a certain elegance on the inside despite the irregularity of the plan and the lack of symmetry. Many interesting and atypical details have been found, which soon aroused the interest of archaeologists. The church is classified as a historical monument by the list of 1840. Today it is the main Catholic church of the city.