L'église Saint-Martin

A little history...
As witchcraft developed very early on in the Chaumes, evangelisation came relatively late and the church was not as primitive as in nearby Chéméré.

The parish of Arthon dates back to the Carolingian period.
Its name appears in a document from the Redon cartulary, which mentions "In plebe quae vocatur Artum".
In the 11th century, the church belonged to a cleric who donated it to Saint-Sauveur de Redon following the Gregorian reform.
This donation was confirmed by the Pope in 1104.

It is under the patronage of Saint-Martin de Tours.

The old church was built on the site of today's nearby car park.
Next to it was a cemetery. It should be pointed out that in this cemetery, an enclosure known as the Brigandins cemetery was reserved for the burial of those who did not have the right to go to the church for their burial, i.e. divorcees, suicides, etc.

The church had become too small and unhealthy. Although the construction of a new building was envisaged as early as 1830, work did not begin until around thirty years later.
The foundation stone was laid on 12 October 1862 and blessed by Monseigneurd Blanchard, honorary canon and superior of the Machecoul college.

The current church was built between 1862 and 1865. It was consecrated in November 1889.


A distinctive bell tower
The bell tower, which was completed in 1892, has the unusual feature of being covered in copper rhombuses instead of the traditional slate.

It has 4 bells:


The first bell to be installed came from the old church. It dates from August 1845. It is the largest and weighs 945 kg. Named Ambroisine, it gives the sound of E flat. It was installed in 1887.
Aline weighs 755kg (or 850kg depending on the source) and gives the sound of A. Like the other two bells, it was inaugurated and blessed in April 1904.
Alexandrine, which weighs 564kg, gives the sound of the ground.
Marguerite, which weighs 335kg, gives the sound of B flat.


The first bell was electrified in 1946, and the other three in 1948.


20th century works


In 1904, the paving from the old church was laid in the choir of the new one.
Before the First World War, the stained glass windows in the choir and above the two side altars were installed. The side windows are more recent.
The organs were installed in 1943.




At the end of 2017, following the repair of the bell tower, major renovation work began, lasting several months.


To consult the mass times for the parish of Sainte Anne - Françoise en Retz: click here
The parish of Sainte Anne - Françoise en Retz comprises eight churches: Saint-Mars-de-Coutais, Port-Saint-Père, Rouans, Vue, Sainte-Pazanne, Saint-Hilaire-de-Chaléons, Arthon-en-Retz and Chéméré.


Sources: Emile Boutin (Histoire religieuse du Pays de Retz abbayes, prieurés, paroisses, published by SILOE in 1999), Ouest France press article, 27 July 2018.