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Origin and history

The Church of the Assumption of Gastines is a Catholic religious building located in the department of Mayenne, in the town of Gastines, at the intersection of departmental roads 127 and 600. Its history is closely linked to Saint-Florent Abbey of Saumur, as evidenced by a confirmation of property in the 12th century by Bishop Ulger and Pope Alexander III. This place of worship, anchored in the local landscape, reflects the importance of abbeys in the medieval religious organization in Anjou and Mayenne.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, the church of Gastines was the scene of an inventory of the Church's property in March 1906, marked by resistance from the faithful. The security forces had to force the main door into the building, where a crowd had gathered. The operation, though tense, lasted only a few minutes, illustrating the tensions related to the law of separation of churches and the state. This episode remains a local testimony of the religious and political upheavals of the time.

The church houses a Marian statue venerated under the names of Notre-Dame de Gastines or Notre-Dame de la Branche. An object of pilgrimages, especially at the feast of the Assumption, this statue once attracted faithful of Brittany and mothers accompanying their children, whether fearful or late to walk. This popular devotion emphasizes the social and spiritual role of the church in the region, far beyond its simple liturgical function.

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