Église abbatiale de Saint-Florent-le-Vieil

As you approach Saint-Florent-le-Vieil, it's the site that immediately catches your eye: the Benedictine abbey perched on Mont Glonne towers fifty metres above the Loire. The former Maurist abbey is a major monastic complex in Maine-et-Loire, whose history began in the 4th century under the impetus of the hermit Saint Florent, who settled on the site to evangelise the area at the request of Saint Martin of Tours.

The Florentine Middle Ages are thus essentially marked by the history of the abbey. Although the saint's establishment cannot be proven in the 4th century, the foundation of the Benedictine abbey by Saint Mauron is attested by a charter dating from 717-718.

Its abbey church, the town's architectural jewel, contains the white marble tomb of the Vendée general Bonchamps, sculpted by the famous Angevin artist David d'Angers.
The church and abbey as you can visit them today date from the reconstruction by the Maurist monks, starting in 1637, following the destruction of the site during the Wars of Religion.
The church's neo-Gothic choir, built over a crypt and dating from the 19th century, is the work of architect Alfred Tessier, a native of Beaupréau. It features a remarkable collection of stained glass windows depicting the history of the abbey, life in the village and the Vendée Wars, which had a profound effect on the town's history. The windows were blessed in 1934. The crypt houses some of the relics of Saint-Florent and a small lapidary museum.

The church is open all year round from 9am to 7pm (except for religious ceremonies).