I am on my road warrior mode again, going to see my Bretagne old and new. This time went over into the old Brittany of the Loire Atlantique dept 44 in the new region of Pays de la Loire. I heard about this town and passed by it, never in, until now. Always amazing finds in my belle France. The town is about 55 km from Rennes, 70 km from Nantes, 73 km from Angers , and 151 km from my house. Let me tell you a bit about the Saint Nicolas Church of Châteaubriant !!
The town of Châteaubriant is located in the department 44 of Loire-Atlantique, in the Pays de la Loire region, It developed around its castle which was the scene of battles linked to the clash between Brittany and France.
The Saint-Nicolas Church, located in the historic center of the city. The primitive chapel, initially placed under the name of Notre-Dame, was built by Geoffroy IV Baron de Châteaubriant, on the spot where the cattle market was held until 1763, from May to October. , a text attests to its existence in 1263. Threatening to fall into ruin, it was demolished in 1518, leaving only the choir of the old chapel. The place of worship will be immediately rebuilt more spacious , Around 1530, only the nave of the building will have been raised ,and in 1543, the Notre-Dame Chapel still had no framework. It was not until 1551 that the last works were undertaken by Baron Anne de Montmorency. The dedication of the new place of worship took place ten years later, on November 5, 1561 , At the end of the 19C, the church, which had become the seat of the parish in 1801, was completely rebuilt.
This new Saint Nicolas Church had its blessing of the first stone on April 25, 1875, The choir, the sacristies, the transept and five bays were only built at the time of the consecration, on February 1, 1881. The foundations of the bell tower and of the bay which remained was started in June 1892 The tower and the spire were completed in August 1894 , The church which consists of a large nave and two side aisles of six bays, a transept, and a choir of three bays without ambulatory.
The Saint-Nicolas Church consists of a large nave and two side aisles of six bays, a transept, and a choir of three bays without an ambulatory. The neo-Gothic style church is built on the site of the old seigniorial chapel which, since the 12C, served as a parish church. The belltower comprise five bells: the enormous St Nicolas drone which weighs 4,027 kg, the Anna weighs 1,552 kg, the Marie weighs 1,067 kg, the Joséphine-Jeanne weighs 726 kg and the Henriette-Victorienne weighs 450 Kg, The height of the bell tower of the Saint-Nicolas Church is 65 meters. The church measures 65 meters in length, the length of the transept is 26,5 meters, and the width of the naves 17,50 meters.
The oil on canvas entitled “legend of Saint-Isidore”, work by José Leonardo, dates from the 17C. The statue of the Virgin and Child dates from the 17C. The stained glass windows are filled with figures of holy personages. In the transept are the tombs of the priests who built the church: – on the Gospel side, that of Abbé Mahé, priest from 1858 to 1890, who built the choir, the transept and part of the nave, – on the side of the Epistle, that of the abbot Langevin, priest from 1890 to 1896 who had the bell tower erected. The painting representing “The Agony of Christ in the Garden of Olives” , a work of Dubouloz,in 1840, was donated to the parish by the Duke of Aumale.
Between the baluster of the high altar and that of the Virgin is a closed bench on the armrest of which are engraved the arms of said lord , the Prince of Condé. In the chapel of the Virgin is another old bench on the armrest of which are the arms of Chasteaubriant. Under the dome which separates the nave from the chancel is a tombstone on which is a raised escutcheon which bears the arms referred to in the large painting of the main altar.
The local Châteaubriant Derval tourist office on Châteaubriant and part church: http://www.tourisme-chateaubriant.fr/en/discover-the-region/historical-heritage/the-medieval-city-of-chateaubriant/
The City of Châteaubriant and its history: https://www.mairie-chateaubriant.fr/histoire/
There you go folks, a dandy of a town, this one is to be back eventually worth it. We were on our road warrior mode so just saw couple monuments and went on to other towns, see posts. The square around this church is full of shops and restos which we had our lunch , see post. Hope you enjoy this post on the Saint Nicolas Church of Châteaubriant as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 
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