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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church Saint-André-et-Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc de Fétilly, located in La Rochelle, Charente-Maritime, was built in 1935 according to the plans of architect Hubert Blanche de Feydeau. It is part of an ambitious "parochial city" project including a party hall, a gymnasium and a library, but the library will never see the light of day for lack of funding. The building, in Art Deco style adapted to sacred art, is distinguished by its reinforced concrete frame and its one-ship basilica plan, 44 meters long. The canon Augustin Crampette, the first priest and future resistant, plays a central role in its realization and is now buried there.

Inside the church is a successful example of artistic collaboration. The mosaic was signed by Soffino, while Louis Gouffault realized the cross in glass cobblestone and the mosaic of the choir. The sculptor Georges Chaumot adorns the entrance gate and creates a frieze in bas-relief on the facade, depicting scenes of the life of Saint Andrew. The ten windows are the work of master glassmaker Chigot, associated with Pentecost of Loix-en-Ré. Other artisans, such as H. Vinet for the Way of the Cross, Beauchamp for the grid of baptismal fonts, and Gorget for the communion table, contribute to this harmonious decor. The church is listed as historical monuments by order of 27 February 2002.

External architecture, sober, contrasts with inner richness. The porch in full hanger is surmounted by a frieze carved by Chaumot, the only exterior decoration in Lavoux stone. The collaterals, reduced to narrow passages, serve three chapels on each side. The reinforced concrete frame, highlighted by lintels and chains of the same material, reflects the constructive innovations of the time. The building, owned by the diocesan association, illustrates the adaptation of the Art Deco principles to a place of worship, while at the same time testifying to the community commitment carried by the canon Crampette.

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