The Church Notre Dame de Bon Port of Les Sables d’Olonne !!!

Posted in Europe, France

Once again, coming back from my road warrior trails in my belle France. This one is a first time as usually bypassed it south but glad finally stop by, its a gem, and we will be back, eventually,The town of Les Sables-d’Olonne is located in the Vendée department no, 85) in the Pays-de-la-Loire region of my belle France , Therefore, here is my take on the Church Notre Dame de Bon Port of Les Sables d’Olonne !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

The town of Les Sables-d’Olonne was formed on January 1, 2019, from the merger of the towns of Château-d’Olonne, Olonne-sur-Mer, and Les Sables-d’Olonne. The town is 42 km from La Roche sur Yon (see posts) from where we came from this time along the D160 road to the port and grande plage or big beach where we found free off street parking that was actually illegal but got away with a nice cop for free!! Otherwise 135 euro fine lol!! The town is 252 km from my current town,

The Church Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Port located at Place de l’Église, In 1622, the parish of Les Sables became independent from Olonne thanks to Cardinal Richelieu, Bishop of the Diocese of Luçon. The church retains a Gothic appearance, but the western facade evokes the Renaissance. It is one of the rare examples of the Counter-Reformation.

The Chapelle de Sainte Anne, and more specifically its painted decoration and woodwork, date from the late 19C and early 20C. The Church of Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Port was built on the site of the Chapel of the Rosary, constructed in the 13C. The parish of Les Sables d’Olonne was created in 1622, but the first stone of the church was not laid until 1646 due to the Wars of Religion. The church is Gothic in style, but the western façade evokes the Renaissance with its central portal adorned with two Corinthian columns topped by a trapezoidal lintel and crowned with a sculpted cartouche. A new phase of restoration of the chapels of the Cross, Saint-Michel, Saint-Joseph and Sainte-Thérèse was started on February 16, 2024, The work, which should last around thirty months, will essentially consist of a restoration of the furniture, vaults, stained glass windows and masonry.

In the 13C, as attested by a document from that period, La Chaume had monks established on its territory, serving the Saint Nicolas Chapel. At the same time, Les Sables was dependent on the parish of Olonne. Towards the middle of the 13C, as the population grew, a chapel was built in Les Sables, on the site of the current church. It was named the Rosary Chapel. Over the years, the Rosary Chapel became too small for the faithful, and the people of Les Sables desired to have their own parish. Cardinal Richelieu, then Bishop of Luçon, granted their request. He had King Louis XIII sign the letters granting the establishment of the Notre-Dame de Bon Port parish. On March 19, 1646, Pierre de Nivelle, Bishop of Luçon, came to bless the first stone of the new church. Work proceeded actively, and in 1648, the naves were built, as well as the apse, the flying buttresses, the ambulatory, and the chapels of the north aisle overlooking the baptismal font. However, due to lack of funds, construction stopped.


A gilded painted wooden altar, crowned with a canopy and dominated by an Assumption of the Virgin was completed in 1783, The French revolution sacked the Church Notre-Dame de Bon-Port, which became the Temple of Reason and served as a grain warehouse and commissary, but it definitively regained its religious purpose in 1800. The baptismal font had a marble piscina installed and surrounded by a railing. The church’s side aisles received a vaulted ceiling, and the chapels were renovated. In 1828, a new group of the Assumption, currently located above the organ; in 1834 the pulpit was installed. It took several years for the vaults to be built, as well as those of the choir, the transept and the naves. On Easter Day 1873, the church was solemnly inaugurated, finally freed from scaffolding, and its consecration took place on July 9, 1890, The construction of a natural stone forecourt and the restoration of the façade were carried out in the 1990s.

The Church Notre-Dame-de-Bon Port is also the starting point for the annual Sainte-Marie-du-Port procession, where the statue of Notre-Dame de la Noue is carried in procession to the port of Les Sables-d’Olonne, accompanied by the faithful and local sailors.

The Parish of Les Sables d’Olonne on the church https://paroisselessables.fr/eglise-notre-dame-de-bon-port/

The Les Sables d’Olonne tourist office on the church : https://www.destination-lessablesdolonne.co.uk/sit/eglise-notre-dame-de-bon-port-pcupdl085v50h3iy/

The town of Les Sables d’Olonne on the church : https://ville.lessablesdolonne.fr/culture-patrimoine/patrimoine/architecture/809-l-eglise-notre-dame-de-bon-port.html

There you go folks, again, another gem of my belle France ! This is real country off the beaten path trails, Again, nice opportunity to see the town , good for the soul, Again, hope you enjoy the post on the Church Notre Dame de Bon Port of Les Sables d’Olonne !!! 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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