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Origin and history

The church Notre-Dame d'Athenay, located in the hamlet of Athenay in Chemiré-le-Gaudin (Sarthe, Pays de la Loire), is an emblematic building of the first Romanesque age, built between the 11th and 12th centuries. Its Romanesque nave, supplemented by chapels and sacristy in the 16th-17th centuries, bears witness to a marked architectural evolution. The alleged use of Gallo-Roman remains for its construction, as well as its characteristic south and west portal, underline its seniority. The church, formerly parish of Athenay, lost this status in 1809 when the village was joined to Chemiré-le-Gaudin by imperial decree.

The Great Winter of 1709, a devastating climate disaster for local crops and people, deeply marks the history of the parish. Since then, an annual pilgrimage to the Virgin, initially scheduled for 2 July and then moved to the Saturday following that date since 1987, has commemorated this event. The church houses an exceptional furniture heritage, including a 17th century polychrome terracotta statuary and modern stained glass (2023) evoking the Great Winter. Classified as a historical monument in 1988, it is now maintained by the association Les amis de l'Église d'Athenay.

The interior, not vaulted but covered with a crib in laminate, preserves fragments of medieval paintings and a 17th century altarpiece decorated with classified sculptures, such as the Visitation or L-Education of the Virgin. The southern chapel houses a 16th-century carved panel depicting the Adoration of the Magi, while the northern chapel exhibits statues of terracotta saints, including St Sebastian and a Virgin with the Child. Outside, a monumental 16th century cross, classified in 1928, sits in the old cemetery. The building, oriented with a ten-degree south slope, blends small limestone apparatus with a red sandstone hourglass decor, typical of local Romanesque art.

The history of the church is also linked to a hospital today gone, formerly located behind the building. Its liturgical furnishings, including a beam of glory, 16th-century baptismal fonts and an ancient ironwork trunk, reflect its central role in religious and community life. The contemporary stained glass windows of Cathy Van Hollebeke, installed in 2023, reinforce the dialogue between past and present, while honouring the memory of the Great Winter and the pilgrimage that follows.

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