Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Notre-Dame de Sainte-Hermine, located in the municipality of the same name in Vendée (Pays de la Loire), is a religious building built during the 2nd quarter of the 19th century. This monument, inscribed in the Historical Monuments by order of 6 February 1989, includes both the church itself and an adjacent former ossuary. Its architecture reflects styles in vogue during this period, marked by a revival of religious constructions in France, often linked to local needs for worship and collective memory.

The location of the church, at 50 Rue de l'Église in Sainte-Hermine, is documented with a priori satisfactory accuracy (level 6/10). The monument is the property of the municipality, which underlines its anchoring in local public and spiritual life. The architect or architect identified, Levêque, supervised his construction, although the details of his intervention are not specified in the available sources. The inscription in the Historical Monuments relates specifically to the Church of Our Lady and the Old Ossuary, referred to under the cadastral reference AD 382.

In the context of the 19th century, rural churches such as that of Sainte-Hermine played a central role in the social and religious organization of the communes. They served not only as a place of worship, but also as a gathering point for the important events of collective life (marriages, baptisms, employers' feasts). The presence of an ossuary also attests to ancient funeral practices, often associated with local traditions of commemoration of the deceased. These buildings thus embodied both the faith and memory of the communities, in a region such as the Vendée, marked by a strong historical and cultural identity.

External links