This church was built from 1955 to 1958 by the architect Guillaume Gillet, Grand Prix de Rome. Made of raw reinforced concrete, it is fully in line with the revival movement of sacred art in the post-war years.
Architect: G. Gillet – Engineers: B. Laffaille and R Sarger
The architect Guillaume Gillet recalls the Gothic tradition of the spiritual quest for light, subject to the reduction in the volume of the supporting structure. Indeed, Gillet, associated with the engineer Bernard Laffaille, imagined a V-shaped framework of reinforced concrete posts, freeing up a vast interior space. The roof, a thin veil (8-10 cm) in the shape of a horse's saddle, covers the whole.
In the 1930s, Bernard Laffaille developed this system of V-shaped supporting sails – the V Laffaille which bear his name – which after the war were used to construct numerous industrial buildings, notably the roundhouses of SNCF locomotives. It was for the church of Royan that the V Laffaille were used for the first time in sacred architecture.
Notre-Dame has been classified as a historic monument since 1988 and will soon be subject to restoration.
The interior houses sumptuous stained glass windows, designed mainly by the architect Guillaume Gillet, and created by the master glassmaker Henri Martin Granel and his son Jean-Baptiste. The stained glass window of the Virgin, behind the main altar, is by the master glassmaker Claude Idoux.
The large, remarkable organs are among the most beautiful instruments of this type (sixteen feet). They are the work of organ builder Robert Boisseau. The instrument has 47 stops, 3 keyboards and over 3 pipes. It was classified as a Historic Monument in 600.
The Notre-Dame church also houses quality statuary, which reflects the revival of sacred art during the post-war boom period. We can cite for example the Black Madonna by Gaston Watkin, Grand Prix de Rome, the Sainte-Thérèse by Nadu Marsaudon, or even the many works of Jacques-Yves Perret.
The architect Guillaume Gillet recalls the Gothic tradition of the spiritual quest for light, subject to the reduction in the volume of the supporting structure. Indeed, Gillet, associated with the engineer Bernard Laffaille, imagined a V-shaped framework of reinforced concrete posts, freeing up a vast interior space. The roof, a thin veil (8-10 cm) in the shape of a horse's saddle, covers the whole.
In the 1930s, Bernard Laffaille developed this system of V-shaped supporting sails – the V Laffaille which bear his name – which after the war were used to construct numerous industrial buildings, notably the roundhouses of SNCF locomotives. It was for the church of Royan that the V Laffaille were used for the first time in sacred architecture.
Notre-Dame has been classified as a historic monument since 1988 and will soon be subject to restoration.
The interior houses sumptuous stained glass windows, designed mainly by the architect Guillaume Gillet, and created by the master glassmaker Henri Martin Granel and his son Jean-Baptiste. The stained glass window of the Virgin, behind the main altar, is by the master glassmaker Claude Idoux.
The large, remarkable organs are among the most beautiful instruments of this type (sixteen feet). They are the work of organ builder Robert Boisseau. The instrument has 47 stops, 3 keyboards and over 3 pipes. It was classified as a Historic Monument in 600.
The Notre-Dame church also houses quality statuary, which reflects the revival of sacred art during the post-war boom period. We can cite for example the Black Madonna by Gaston Watkin, Grand Prix de Rome, the Sainte-Thérèse by Nadu Marsaudon, or even the many works of Jacques-Yves Perret.
Location details
- Downtown
- In the city
- Public transport stop within 500 m
- Bus stop within 500 m
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Individual visit services
- Unguided individual tours permanently
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All year, every day.
8h to 19h.
8h to 19h.
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