It is one of our most visited City for walks , and Lorient and the Church Notre Dame de Victoire/St Louis , the church is a must to visit, . A very nice neighborhodd we have come even for shopping and eating, The monument to see here is the Church Notre Dame de Victoire but the locals still call it Church de Saint Louis. Lorient is about 35 km by car from my house ; it is a sub préfecture City, The church really needs another post to show you more pictures found in my vault that really needs to be in my blog. Of course, this is in beautiful Morbihan dept 56 of my lovely Bretagne ! Let me tell you a bit more on it ok, and hope you enjoy it as I.
The first church in the town center was built between 1702 and 1706, four hundred meters from the current church, at the top of the Cour de la Bôve. It was dedicated to Saint-Louis. This church was destroyed in 1768 and replaced by a new, ephemeral church, since it was rebuilt in 1810. The bell tower was built between 1826 and 1828. In 1867, the parish was consecrated to Notre-Dame de Victoire by Pope Pius IX, in memory of the “miraculous” liberation of the city occupied by the English, on October 7, 1747. This third church will be seriously damaged by the Allied bombings in February 1943, and will be razed in December 1945. Only the bell tower was preserved. The current church was built between 1953 and 1955,
The new Church of Notre-Dame-de-Victoire, the seat of the parish of Saint-Louis, is a church located by the place Alsace Lorraine. It is the most important parish in the country of Lorient. Made of concrete, the steeple culminates at 54 meters high, and is the highest point of Lorient. The access to its summit is done by means of a staircase of 270 steps.
The monumental porch, in the middle of the facade, is 12 meters high. It is adorned with a statue of Notre-Dame, As soon as visitors enter the church, their gaze is struck by the chromatic contrast between the almost uniform gray of the nave and the rather yellow clarity of the choir. Such was the architect’s will ; to create a nave without many stained glass windows and which must remain in the shadows so that the attention of the faithful is drawn in by the light of the choir. To this end, a series of glazed claustras line the north and south sides of the sanctuary, almost from the floor to the vault.
In the Chapel of the Virgin sits the statue of Notre Dame de Victoire or Our Lady of Victory, from 1850. The city of Lorient wants to be under the protection of Mary and this statue is the illustration. In 1746, during the War of the Austrian Succession, when the city was besieged by the English, the inhabitants made a vow to the Virgin. A silver statue of Notre Dame is then created. It will disappear during the French revolution and will be replaced in 1850 by the statue of Postel. In 1943, the statue was removed intact from the rubble of the Saint-Louis church, which was interpreted as a sign of the protection of Notre-Dame de Victoire over the city. The Virgin sits enthroned on the city ramparts. With her scepter, she is dismissing the British leopard, which holds the scepter in its mouth.
The high Altar of the Church of Notre Dame de Victoire/St Louis is associated with the famous word of Christ, read in the Gospel according to Luke: “advance offshore, and throw your nets for fishing.” These words addressed to Simon-Peter are the prelude to the miraculous fishery. “Forward offshore” also appears on a banner clearly visible on the western façade of the Church. The side chapels are two chapels each decorated with a large fresco. That of the Chapel of the Virgin traces elements of the life of Saint Louis, while that of the Blessed Sacrament Chapel is rich with a biblical symbolism very moving.
The previous church of St Louis had the first organ built in 1838 by the young prodigy organ builder Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, recently installed in Paris, rue Notre-Dame de Lorette. We can also note that Brittany was the breeding ground of Aristide since if Lorient is his first organ delivered in metropolitan France, Pontivy is the third (after Notre-Dame de Lorette in Paris) and Dinan the fourth, In 1891, the organ is replaced by a new organ. Cavaillé’s organ was placed in 1891 in the Notre-Dame de Bonne-Nouvelle Church in the Kerentrech district of Lorient, where it still stands. In 1959, a new large organ with 48 stops on three manuals and pedals was built and installed , this organ was inaugurated in September 1959. In 1965, the choir organ with 12 stops, with mechanical transmission was installed, It will be necessary to wait until 2001 for a complete restoration of the organs to be carried out.
I keep writing the double name of Notre Dame de Victoire and Saint Louis because as the new Church was really given the name of ND de Victoire, the locals still refers to it as Saint Louis therefore ,the title of my post! Again,it is worth the detour for the contrast of a modern Church to many old ones we have around here.
The Catholic Parish of Vannes on the church of Lorient: https://www.vannes.catholique.fr/eglise-notre-dame-de-victoire-lorient/
The local Lorient South Brittany tourist office on the churches of Lorient: https://www.lorientbretagnesudtourisme.fr/fr/immanquables/lorient/decouvrir-les-eglises-de-lorient/
The Bretagne region tourist board on Lorient: https://www.brittanytourism.com/destinations/the-10-destinations/southern-brittany-morbihan-gulf/lorient/
There you go folks, a wonderful monument in a very nice neighborhood, now come and see the Church of Notre Dame de Victoire or Saint Louis ,and modern city of Lorient. It is worth a detour me think.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 
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