The Church Notre Dame of Bressuire !!!

Posted in Europe, France

Once again, coming back from my road warrior trails in my belle France. This one after many passing finally went in City center of Bressuire, with great architecture and history to boot. You will see plenty in next posts stay tune, The City of Bressuire is located in the Deux-Sèvres department no. 79 in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of my belle France. Therefore, here is my take on the Church Notre Dame of Bressuire !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

The town of Bressuire is located 244 km from my current home, However, on my visit this time came from Thouars on the D938 ter entering on Bd de Thouars to rondpoint left on Rue de la Cave to Place Dupin and parking !

The Church Notre-Dame is located at Place Notre Dame, Founded at the end of the 11C by Thibault de Beaumont, Lord of Bressuire, the Church Notre Dame underwent numerous alterations.  A 56m-high Renaissance bell tower dominates the city and its surroundings. Climb to the bell tower every 30 minutes. Sundays only, from 14h30 to 18h30.

The Church Notre Dame has been mentioned since 1090. In the mid-16C, it was topped by a 56-meter Gothic bell tower that overlooks the town. Founded at the end of the 11C by Thibault de Beaumont, Lord of Bressuire, the Church Notre Dame underwent numerous alterations. In the 12C, domed vaults known as “Angevine” vaults were installed in the nave. In the 16C, the Romanesque choir was replaced by a vast sanctuary, which was decorated with frescoes in the early 19C. The cartulary of the Abbey of Saint-Jouin-de-Marnes preserves a deed of donation by which the lord of Bressuire, Thibaud de Beaumont, gave the church to the monks of Saint-Jouin-de-Marnes. This means that in 1090, the church already existed. The centuries that followed have left no written records allowing us to ascertain the exact time when the various reconstruction or redevelopment campaigns of the nave took place.

However, the end of the 15C saw the completion of a new church with a flat chevet, a unique feature of Bas-Poitou. It links the arms of the Laval-Montmorency family with the Beaumont family coat of arms, worn from 1510 to 1528 by Gilles Laval-Montmorency. The choir, similar in style to the sacristy, dates from the same period. The keystones of the sanctuary were also decorated with the coats of arms of the lords of Bressuire. The Beaumont eagle was recognizable, but also the coat of arms of the Fiesque family who settled in Bressuire at the end of the 16C. It was also under the Laval-Montmorency family that the magnificent 56-meter-high Renaissance bell tower was erected, whose dome is a copy of a Roman church, San Pietro in Competo. The church was not burned during the Wars of the Vendée.  From 1492 to 1520, a flat chevet was built in the Romanesque choir to accommodate more people, and the wooden vaults were rebuilt in stone in the Angevin style found throughout the kingdom of Eleanor of Aquitaine. It was between 1529 and 1556 that work gave the church its typical bell tower. the Renaissance heritage of the church can be seen up to the 100th step of the bell tower, where a period door still exists.

The town purchased the organ from the Church Notre-Dame of Thouars (see post) in November 1792. It features a Louis XVI-style oak case with a low base. The façade consists of three flat faces; the central one has 15 pipes surrounded by the lateral ones with 5 pipes. Flat pilasters with Corinthian capitals. A rectilinear entablature with a cornice, the central part topped by a triangular pediment with a large cross. A console window. Two reservoirs with parallel folds and two soundboards with engravings and registers. The registers have a square section with porcelain.

 The local Bocage Bressuirais tourist office on the Church Notre Dame : https://www.tourisme-bocage.com/visiter/histoire-et-patrimoine/eglise-notre-dame-107174

The Deux Sevres dept 79 tourist office on the Church Notre Dame : https://www.tourisme-deux-sevres.com/activite/eglise-notre-dame/

The town of Bressuire on its heritage : https://www.ville-bressuire.fr/index.php/ma-ville/decouvrir-bressuire/le-patrimoine

There you go folks, again, another gem of my belle France ! This is in wonderful City to be seen by all , rather staying in the off the beaten path trails, Again, great architecture and history as always, Again, hope you enjoy the post on the Church Notre Dame of Bressuire !!! as I

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!

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Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

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