L'église Saint-Jean-Baptiste

Saint-Jean-Baptiste church dates back to 1879. It was designed by the architect Henry Gelec. It is the third church in Chéméré.

Creation of the parish

Lord Harscoët I de Rais founded the parish of Chéméré in 1020.
The church was dedicated to Saint-Jean.
In the second half of the 11th century, the parish was attached to the priory of Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Chéméré and then to the abbey of Saint-Serge in Angers.


Construction, restoration and reconstruction of Saint-Jean-Baptiste church: centuries of change

Construction then fire :
Saint-Jean-Baptiste church was built in the 12th century.
It was burnt down in 1794, in a fire that ravaged the entrance to the village, during the passage of the "infernal columns" of General Turreau's Republican army during the Vendée Wars.
This was a plan to grid the Vendée military area with twelve incendiary columns, which were given the following orders:


to exterminate all the "brigands" who had taken part in the revolt, including women and children
evacuate the neutral or patriotic populations
seize crops and livestock
set fire to villages and forests.



Restoration
A temporary restoration was carried out in 1805.
However, the building was still too small for the parish, which could accommodate 1,277 parishioners. It was also poorly constructed and considered fragile. The decision was taken in 1849 to rebuild a new one.
It wasn't until 1875 that the project was approved and financing made possible.

Destruction and reconstruction
The building was demolished and the cemetery moved to make way for the construction of the new place of worship.
The project was entrusted to architect Henry Galec in 1877, who completed the main building in 1879.
The neo-Gothic style was inspired by the style of the Basilica of Saint-Nicolas in Nantes, which influenced many architects in the second half of the 19th century.
Due to a lack of funds, the building did not immediately have a bell tower. A sort of belfry, in front of the presbytery courtyard, housed the Caroline bell from the old church.

The bell tower was finally erected in 1894. Once completed, the church was inaugurated on 18 December 1894 and dedicated to John the Baptist.

In October 1896, the 3 bells were blessed and installed thanks to the generosity of the parishioners:


Fernande Adeline, which gives E natural and weighs 1,165 kg
Marie-Rose, which gives the F sharp and weighs 836 kg
Jeanne-Marie, who plays G sharp and weighs 617 kg

Elements of the old building were reused to decorate the interior of the new church.

A wooden Christ dominates the choir of the church in Chéméré. This elm-wood processional cross depicting Christ dates from the late 17th century. It stood in the cemetery until 1963, when it was restored and placed in the church.

Several liturgical objects were listed as Historic Monuments in 1964:


a censer
an incense burner
a spoon
a processional cross.


To consult the mass times for the parish of Sainte Anne - Françoise en Retz: click here
The parish of Sainte Anne - Françoise en Retz comprises eight churches: Saint-Mars-de-Coutais, Port-Saint-Père, Rouans, Vue, Sainte-Pazanne, Saint-Hilaire-de-Chaléons, Arthon-en-Retz and Chéméré.

A little extra: The Saint-Jean-Baptiste church can be discovered by following the "les chênes" hiking trail.