Saint Pierre of Rest
rue Saint-Pierre de Rest
49730 Montsoreau
Church | XII-1787 | Romanesque, Neoclassical | Catholic Church
Map
Opening hours
01 January - 31 December
Mon 9.00 - 17.00
Tue 9.00 - 17.00
Wed 9.00 - 17.00
Thu 9.00 - 17.00
Fri 9.00 - 17.00
Sat 9.00 - 17.00
Sun 9.00 - 17.00
Religious offices
Description
Originally, the commune was made up of two villages: Montsoreau, dominated by its castle, which is a transitional style between medieval fortified castle and Renaissance, and Rest, marked by the Church of Saint-Pierre. It was around the latter village that the first village developed, thanks to its port, which drove the economic growth of the town through the wine and stone trade.
The Saint-Pierre church in Rest was for a long time both a parish church, served by a priest, and a priory, with services celebrated by a prior from the 11th century onwards.
The current building, made of tuffeau stone, is undoubtedly the successor to an older sanctuary. Its architecture is typical of the Angevin Gothic style, as evidenced by the choir, transept and bell tower, built between the end of the 13th and the beginning of the 14th century. The construction work was interrupted due to a lack of funds, leaving some elements unfinished. The nave was rebuilt in the 18th century in a neoclassical style.
After the French Revolution, the church lost its priory status but retained its parish role. It then received several works of art and items of furniture from the prestigious neighbouring abbey of Fontevraud.
Photos
Remarkable elements
The nave
The nave was rebuilt around 1787-1788 using finely cut tuffeau stone and is covered with a slate gabled roof. The interior is lit by three round-arched windows on the north side and two on the south. Two entrances open onto the west and south sides. The main entrance is topped by a triangular pediment and an oculus. Inside, the ceiling is lined with wooden panelling.
This simplicity contrasts with the rest of the church, which is covered by Gothic ribbed vaults.
Flood Marks
Following the floods of 1843 and 1856, whose water level marks are still visible in the nave, the bishop ordered either immediate repairs to the building, whose dampness threatened the health of the priests, or its demolition and replacement by a new church to be built on higher ground. In 1863, the municipal council entrusted the work to the architect Ernest Piette. However, in 1866 the Loire flooded the nave once again, leaving another visible flood mark.
The oculus
Located above the church's main entrance, the oculus contains a stained-glass window made of chipped glass slabs assembled with a cement matrix. At its centre are the arms of Montsoreau: a cross within a shield and three fleurs-de-lis on a blue band. The window was created in the early 1960s by Alain Cléry, a priest and trained stained-glass artist.
The stained glass windows
The stained-glass windows in the choir and apse were donated by the Bruneau-Bucaille family in 1878 after the tragic deaths of their daughter and granddaughter. The central window in the choir is dedicated to the Sacred Heart, while the side windows depict Saint Thérèse and Saint Margaret, the patron saints of the deceased. Another window represents Saint Joan of Arc at prayer. Two additional windows illustrate scenes from the life of Christ in medallions.
Christ on the Cross
This Crucifixion is a copy of the one preserved in the nearby Abbey of Fontevraud. The original was once housed in Montsoreau church after the abbey's furnishings were dispersed during the French Revolution. It dates from the first half of the 16th century.
The stalls
A set of choir stalls, traditionally believed to have come from the Abbey of Fontevraud during the Revolutionary confiscations, now stands in the choir. Probably dating from the late 15th century, they feature finely carved misericords and armrests decorated with foliage and grotesque motifs. The ensemble has been protected as a Historic Monument since 1902.
