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Origin and history

The church of Notre-Dame-de-la-Légion-d'honneur is the parish church of Longué, in the commune of Longué-Jumelles (Maine-et-Loire). Its construction was initiated in 1847 by Abbé Hubert, parish priest of Longué, because of the delapidated state of the old church, considered too small and threatening. The land was acquired in 1848, but the abbot's death in 1851 and lack of funds interrupted the work, barely begun.

In 1855, Father Justin Massonneau, Hubert's successor, launched the project with a communal grant and the ministerial agreement. The works resumed but were stopped on 4 June 1856 by a devastating flood of the Loire, which ravaged the village and compromised the financing. Abbé Massonneau, awarded knight of the Legion of Honour in 1857 for his heroism during the flood, then had the idea of soliciting the legionnaires to raise funds.

The call was a remarkable success, allowing the building to be completed, including its stained glass windows. The church was consecrated on July 3, 1860 by Bishop Guibert, Archbishop of Tours, under the name Notre-Dame de la Légion d'honneur. A statue of the Virgin, bearing the badge of the Legion of Honour, was erected in 1948 near the church, in thanks for the protection of local soldiers during the Second World War.

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