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Historic site and monument à Royan

Église Notre-Dame de Royan

Address

1 avenue des Congrès
17200 Royan

How do I get there?

About

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 framework of reinforced concrete posts, in the form V, freeing up a vast interior space. The roof, a thin veil (8-10 cm) in the shape of a horse saddle tops the whole.
In the XNUMXs, Bernard Laffaille had developed this system of V-shaped bearing sails – the Laffaille Vs which bear his name – which, after the war, were used to build many industrial buildings, in particular the roundhouses of SNCF locomotives. It is for the church of Royan that the V Laffaille are used for the first time in sacred architecture.

Notre-Dame has been listed as a historic monument since 1988 and will soon be restored.

The interior houses sumptuous stained glass windows, designed mainly by the architect Guillaume Gillet, and made by the master glassmaker Henri Martin Granel and his son Jean-Baptiste. The stained glass window of the Virgin, behind the high altar, is due to the master glassmaker Claude Idoux.

The remarkable large 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 manuals and over 3 pipes. It was listed 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

  • Public transport stop within 500 m
  • Bus stop within 500 m
  • In the city
  • Downtown

Opening

Opening hours from January 01 to December 31, 2024
Monday Open
Tuesday Open
Wednesday Open
Thursday Open
Friday Open
Saturday Open
Sunday Open
8h to 19h

Prices

Free

Services

Home animals

Pets are not accepted.

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