And on my update route again, and what a thrill it has been for me to revive these older posts due to current situation. I know there is a lot more to do but I am moving on and now with more time ho ho ho. Let me tell you about the Church Notre Dame of Cholet, part I !! Hope you enjoy as I.
This was a surprise, did not realize that this town could have such a beautiful Church. As a lover of Architecture and History, these fascinates me and I go a great length to visit them all; working on it!
I am talking about the Notre Dame Church of Cholet. It is right in city center/downtown of the city at the parvis Jean-Paul-II , and surrounded by the old town and a great square Travot. The short end of it tells us that here was a castle and the now Church was just a chapel of the castle, then the parish Church was built and over and over again on the same spot the current Church occupy today. This region has suffered greatly in the 19C due to the voracious French revolution, that only destroyed many religious buildings but murdered many of the folks in the area of the Vendée or wars of the west as they were called. The people here has taken to rebuilt these religious buildings , and the current Church was initially built between 1854 and 1887. It is considered one of the best work and preserved of buildings from the trouble 19C in the region.
It is told that the first sign of a Church here was from the 11C and by around 1185 it became the parish Church. For a long period of neglect, and after the French revolution it was used as a stable and then a prison. The deterioration was imminent and by 1812 danger of fallen stones from its walls , the Church was closed to the public. In July 1814, the remains are demolished and new Church took over in the Poitevin style with a lantern tower bell tower below the altar, on ordered of the Duke of Angoulême this was finished in 1820. The new Church was soon found too small and the fourth Church on the spot is built starting in 1854 and finished in 1887. It was built of stones in a neo Gothic style of the 13C; it has a choir with five Chapels and a transept. It is capped with two steeples, each with a slender, pointed arrow, surmounted by a wrought iron cross, rising to 65 meters above the square.
Let me tell you some of the wonderful things you can find inside.
First, the ceilings are magnificent high and clean and just gorgeous, with beautiful stained glass in the walls recounting the story of the birth and last judgment of Christ. There is a nice pulpit chair and a baptismal chapel with engraving that is just gorgeous. The towers front façade were recently clean and renovated and work is continuing on the rest of the Church while it stays open. There at this time a Nativity Scene quite nice.
The building outside is huge or it seems that way to me. The reconstruction has been a success. There is a wonderful statue of my favorite Joanne of Arc (Jeanne d’Arc) on the left side wall half way the nave. You have an organ from 1903 renovated afterward on several times but just gorgeous encrusted on the wall from the bottom up and a big rosary window above it.
There are several Chapels showing the Virgin and the Enfant Jesus, St Peter’s, the Last Judgment , and Christ at the Cross. The impressive statues at the back in white stone are one on St Remi baptizing Clovis for the foundation of France and St Genevieve battling Attila the Hun defending Paris (St Genevieve is Paris patron Saint). Impressive.
The Cholet tourist office on the church: https://www.ot-cholet.fr/eglise-notre-dame-cholet.html
The Cholet Catholic parish on the church: https://www.choletcatho.net/paroisse-saint-pierre-notre-dame
The city of Cholet on its churches: https://www.cholet.fr/chaines/dossier_29_eglises.html
Overall, this is a very nice Church Notre Dame, that could be mistaken for a Cathedral. Big, spacious, bright white color showing throughout ,and nice statues. Just for it alone and the place Travot in Cholet, could be worth a visit. Another jewel from my belle France ,and help preserve for humanity’s sake. Again, hope you have enjoy the post on the Church Notre Dame of Cholet ,part I as I
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 