La Lanterne des Morts

The only monument of its kind in Loire-Atlantique, it is still in use. A light is switched on during the Night of the Dead and whenever there is a death in the parish. In the past, the night-light was powered by oil; today, electricity has replaced it.

This custom dates back to the 11th or 12th century. Lanterns for the dead were built mainly in Limousin, Périgord, Saintonge and Poitou. The one in Les Moutiers-en-Retz is the furthest west, along with the one in Saint-Pierre d'Oléron. It is exceptional in Brittany.
Exclusively religious monuments, symbolising the light of Christ, the lanterns of the dead were located in cemeteries, as here in the old cemetery between Saint-Pierre church and Madame church, now destroyed.

The lantern of the dead was restored in 1610 and again at the end of the 19th century, thanks to Abbé Henri Baconnais, who paid for its reconstruction in 1887.

It consists of a tower 7 metres high and 1.5 metres in diameter. It is topped by a spherical cap and a cross. The tower has three small windows through which a lamp shines.

Outside, an altar is dedicated to Saint Joseph, "patron saint of good death", a reminder of the Christian significance of this tower, which has been a listed monument since 1913.

The lantern is only visible from the outside.

The little extra :


You can take an interest in this emblematic heritage of the commune by following the guided walking tour of Moutiers-en-Retz, a village with ancestral origins.
The lantern of the dead can also be discovered on the countryside walking trail.