Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Augustine convent of Montreuil-Bellay, built in the 17th century, is a former religious complex located in the department of Maine-et-Loire, on the commune of Montreuil-Bellay. It consists of a church, a chapel dedicated to Saint-Thomas, a private hotel (Sestier de Champrobert), and convent buildings renovated in the 19th and 20th centuries. The church, originally dedicated to worship, became a Temple of Reason in 1789, before being transformed into a cellar, then into a car garage. Threatened by ruin, it was restored between 1988 and 1992.

The foundation of the convent dates back to 1624, when Guillaume Belotteau offered the Augustins land to build a convent under the name of Saint Monique. When Father Boniface died in 1634, the work was not completed, but the convent was completed before the death of Belotteau in 1641. The current buildings, partially preserved, include cloister arcades and a chapel turned into a hangar. The church was listed as a historical monument in 1989, while the other elements (façades, roofs, Petits-Augustins hotel) were listed the same year.

The materials used for construction reflect the local resources: the western facade of the chapel is tufted (sized stone), while the lateral facades are made of coated limestone. The site, now a mixed property (private, communal and associative), retains traces of its successive uses, ranging from religious to industrial. Its main address, Place des Augustins, and its extensions on Rue Nationale and Avenue Duret, testify to its integration into the urban fabric of Montreuil-Bellay.

External links