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24 juin 2011

MONTFORT ; Saint Hilary’s Church

 

MONTFORT 4_St Hilaire MONTFORT_72dpi

Saint Hilary’s Church

 

History

Situated on a hill at one of the most elevated points of the high plateau of Doué, Montfort was part of a huge royal villa given by Charlemagne to the chapter of Saint-Maurice of Angers : Villa spinacra (which gave Epinas) which extended also to Douces and Brossay. The first church situated in Saint Hilaire is mentioned in the 11th century.

The church under the patronage of Saint Hilaire, as the one in Douces, was restored in 1001 by Raynaud, Bishop of the Chapter of Saint-Maurice, whose canon kept the cure.

In the 12th century, the hill was fortified to the north and became the center of a parish that took the name of Montfort while the feudal castle preserved the name of Epinats.

The church stood at the south end of the territory, at the intersection of two paths, one leading from Douces to the Abbey of Asnières and the other from Brossay to Cizay...

The church was destroyed during the Religion Wars. Its remains formed a small fenced field called Saint Hilaire, transformed into a house.

After the destruction of the church, the parish service was transferred to the present chapel.

Preserved simply as an oratory from 1808 to 1846, it was united in 1846 with the parish of Cizay.

On the other side of the road, at the corner of the property of the Castle of Epinats, the little staircase  still exists today, which in the past would have allowed the lords of Epinats to  attend religious services.

Description:

The present church is from the 13th century as shown by marks of two windows of the apse free chevet.

The wall of the chevet is supported at the corners, as well as the one of the facade, by buttresses ending in rounded columns. These four buttresses are unique for a religious building (there are also four at the castle of Loches).

The western facade on which appear remains of old windows was raised several times.

In the 17th century, the church had undergone major changes : a large reredos was built leading to the suppression of both windows of the chevet.

The bell tower rises above the entrance of the choir. It consists in an octagonal slate cage and a small recess that was rebuilt in 1912.

The single nave, without aisles or transept, forms a long rectangle covered with a plaster vault and ends with the apse-free chevet choir that allowed the installation of the reredos.

The reredos (retable)

It is from the late 17th or early 18th century. It is probably due to the generosity of the lords of Epinats.

The reredos provides interest for both history and art. It was substantially developed at the end of the Religions Wars from which the spiritual renewal of Counter-Reformation involved the transformation of churches’ decoration. For the parish assembly it was a true staging of the great mysteries of religion, to make them more accessible and familiar.

The retable is the work of architects and sculptors, the most famous belongs to the Laval School with the Corbineaus’ Dynasty. But the originality and quality of accomplishments exceeded the limits of Maine to establish a link with Anjou where Pierre Corbineau worked on the reredos of the Ursulines’ Chapel in Angers (1642-1653) and Pierre Biardeau in the Chapel de la Barre* and then in Saumur in Notre Dame des Ardilliers. We may compare this reredos with the one in Grez-Neuville (1697).

The retable of Montfort is perhaps from a later period but it is typical of Counter-Reformation: three parts on two levels (registers).

On the lower level, the polychrome statues of Saint Hilaire and Saint René frame the Transfiguration of Christ. On the upper level, is a beautiful portrait by Philippe de Champaigne, of Charles Borromée, bishop of Milan, an exemplary figure of  Counter-Reformation for penitence and charity. On the right,  there is a holy martyr with a palm.

The theme of the Annunciation, very common at that time, appears with the representation of the Virgin and  angel Gabriel on both sides of a Christ holding a globe over the golden wood tabernacle.

The painted trompe-l’oeil corinthian columns and heads of cherubs are part of this traditional decor.

The overall effect is very colorful and dramatic.

* La Barre, a former dependency of the Abbey of Saint Nicolas of Angers is situated on the road to Nantes.


To print: MONTFOR11

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