Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The former church of Saint George of the Batignolles, located in Nantes in the Nantes Erdre district, was built to meet the spiritual needs of the workers of the Batignolles Mills. In 1920, a first wooden church, financed by the Goüin family, was built at the corner of Boulevard des Batignolles and the current avenue de la Gare-de-Saint-Joseph. Father Joseph Guiho, the future vicar general, became his parish priest in 1924. Parish works were developed, such as a children's patronage (1921) and a holiday colony in Batz-sur-Mer, supported by the management of local factories and notables such as Robert de La Tullaye.

Between 1933 and 1935, a new red brick church, designed by architects René Ménard and Maurice Ferré (creators of the Sainte-Thérèse church in Nantes), replaced the original building. It serves three nearby working-class cities (La Halvêque, La Baratte, Le Ranzay) linked to the Batignolle Mills. A fresco by Abbé Pierre Bouchaud adorns his choir. Its architecture, typical of the industrial buildings of the period, combines simplicity and functionality, with a slate roof.

Closed for security reasons (risk of collapse due to its proximity to the peripheral boulevard), the church is disused for the benefit of a new place of worship homonymous. Renovated, it becomes the Studio Saint-Georges des Batignolles, hosting rehearsals and recordings for institutions such as the Angers-Nantes Opéra or the Theatre company for two hands. This cultural re-use partially preserves its heritage, while adapting to contemporary uses.

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