Eglise - Chantonnay

Chantonnay church

The parish of Chantonnay (Canto Agnetis) has existed since the 12th century. Looted during the Hundred Years' War, the church was rebuilt by Nicolas des Nouhes, Lord of Pally, in 1460. During the Vendée Wars, the building was relatively untouched by fire, but served as a storehouse for Republican troops. In 1856, the parish priest Georges du Tressay commissioned the architect Léon Ballereau to rebuild the church. Keeping only the base of the 12th-century bell tower and the 15th-century choir, he built a rectangular neo-Gothic structure, adding a side aisle to extend the bell tower. The Poitevin-style façade features three portals, a rose window framed by two stained glass windows and three niches with statues. The stained glass windows in the flat chevet were made in 1857 by Guérithault, a master glass-maker from Chanton. For financial reasons, the 52-metre spire was not built until 1861. An elegant organ loft was built in the nave by architect Joseph Libaudière in 1893. A stained glass window by Dominique Landucci depicting the church fire of 1793 was recently installed.