The fortified church and cemetery enclosure comprise a defensive wall with towers and projecting guardhouses. Some of these guardhouses are equipped with loopholes. The enclosure is an exceptional and rare example of rural defensive architecture dating from the second half of the 16th century.
The stained-glass windows of the fortified church were created by Jean-Jacques Grüber and installed in 1952. The building has a four-bay nave with side aisles and a pentagonal apse. The church also contains a baptismal font dating from the late 12th century.
Anyone wishing to rent a holiday apartment in Croutoy can also include the fortified church, the Bois du Crocq, and the “La Forêt impériale de Compiègne” route in their personal travel planning.
Natural Environment
The Bois du Crocq extends along the edge of the Tertiary Plateau of Soissonnais, above the confluence of the Ru Vandy and the Aisne on the left bank of the Aisne, and also includes Croutoy. The Bois du Crocq area, designated as a type 1 ZNIEFF, also extends into Croutoy.
The Bois du Crocq contains calcareous grasslands and thermophilous woodland edges.
Routes
The “La Forêt impériale de Compiègne” route passes through Croutoy. It is rated as difficult and has a stated duration of six hours.
