Chapelle Sainte-Eustelle des Augustins en Charente-Maritime

Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Augustine convent, founded in La Rochelle in the early 14th century, was destroyed in 1568 during the Wars of Religion. The chapel, transformed into shops, and the refectory, converted into a Protestant temple, welcomed in 1571 the synod of La Rochelle presided over by Théodore de Bèze. This synod ratifies the Confession of La Rochelle, a founding text of French Protestantism. The premises also house the marriages of Gaspard II de Coligny and his daughter, as well as the baptism of John Guiton in 1584.

Reprised by the Augustins in the 17th century, the convent was rebuilt from 1654 under the direction of Brother Médard Audureau. The chapel was consecrated in 1660, its gallery added in 1671, and its bell tower built in the early eighteenth century. A plaque, attributed to the sculptor Pierre Biardeau, adorns the first span. In 1791, the Augustins finally left the place, giving way to the Ursulines in 1804, then to the sisters of Chavagnes in 1835, who established a school there.

Ranked a historic monument in 2015, the former convent illustrates the religious and architectural upheavals of La Rochelle, between Catholicism, Protestantism and successive reallocations. Its history reflects the denominational tensions of the Renaissance and Baroque reconstructions, while at the same time testifying to its subsequent educational role.

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