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Origin and history

The chapel of La Savarière, located in Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire in a wooded environment, was built in 1757 by Corneil Joseph Mispreuve, a merchant of Batave and Catholic origin. The latter, comptroller of the cafétiers and lemonadiers, then adviser to the King, dedicated her to Notre-Dame des Anges in tribute to his wife Angélique Witvoët. The chapel, of modest dimensions (10 m by 5 m), is distinguished by its walled ceiling in painted wood, representing the Assumption of the Virgin surrounded by angels, an almost unique décor in the Loire-Atlantique. Its altar houses a statue of Virgin with Child inspired by Notre-Dame-des-Victoires in Paris, framed by two angels in prayer, works by Henri Ripoche (early 20th century).

The chapel was blessed on 2 August 1757 by the Vicar General of the Bishop of Nantes, a symbolic date coinciding with the Franciscan feast of Our Lady of Angels in Italy. During the Vendée War (1793), she escaped the fires thanks to the respect of the insurgents, becoming a place of clandestine worship for refractory priests like Abbé René Lemesle. Several marriages and sacraments were celebrated in secret. Contrary to a widespread belief, it is a second chapel (blessed in 1781), adjoining the neighboring Palladian villa, which was raised by the widow Dallère, aunt of General Cambronne.

Classified as a historical monument in 1986, the Chapel of La Savarière is now accessible during the Heritage Days. Its interior decoration, including the naïve trompe l'oeil vault decorated with balustrade and bouquets of flowers, bears witness to its rich artistic and religious past. The property, located on Rue du Général-de-Gaulle, thus retains a unique heritage linked to local history and Catholic resistance during the Revolution.

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