Eglise St Louis, Bourcefranc-le-Chapus

Descriptif

In the 17th century, Madame de Maintenon, passing through Oléron, wished to make her devotions before embarking. But there was no place of worship in the village. So, on her return to Paris, she convinced King Louis XIV to build a church there, and made a donation to the village.



The building, constructed of rubble stone, is reinforced at the corners of the walls and at the openings with ashlar. Its construction is based on a simple plan with a shallow transept and a hemicyclic chevet. The façade features a door framed by pilasters and topped by a molded pediment. The church opened its doors to the faithful in 1694.



In the 19th century, the church underwent a series of renovations, including the installation of a gallery, altar and stained-glass windows.



Originally, the church had no steeple, but a bell tower topped by the bell of the former temple of Saint-Just, destroyed in 1685 during the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. The present bell tower was added in 1957 by Abbé Paul Bourgeon, the parish priest.



Saint-Louis church is a seafarers' parish. This is evidenced by the ashlar altar decorated with a ship and anchors, and the stained-glass window of Saint Pierre featuring Fort Louvois. It was donated at the end of the 19th century by the fishermen of Le Chapus and depicts 3 scenes: "La tempête apaisée", "La profession de foi de St Pierre" and "La pêche miraculeuse".