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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The church Saint-Blaise de Bonchamp-lès-Laval, located in the department of Mayenne in Pays de la Loire, is a religious building whose bedside dates back to the 4th quarter of the 11th century. Originally dedicated to the Virgin, as evidenced by the archives of the cartular of the Ronceray, she later adopted the term Saint-Blaise. Its architecture retains major Romanesque elements: the choir, the transept, the apse, the apsidioles and the base of the bell tower. The nave, on the other hand, has been extended several times, especially in the 12th and early 18th centuries at the request of the priest Ambrose Bidault.

The most notable interior changes date from the 17th and 18th centuries, with a decoration commissioned by the priest Alexandre Menard du Hallay between 1756 and 1771. Among the notable additions are the southern chapel (1731, for the priest Gervais Mauclerc), the altarpiece of the Virgin (1639), the epitaph of the eighteenth century, and the altarpiece of the high altar (circa 1760). A chair in wrought iron, made by the locksmith Jean-Baptiste-René Lafosse in 1768, illustrates the local crafts of the period. The church, owned by the municipality, has been listed as historical monuments since 1994 for its architectural and furniture heritage.

The changes continued in the 19th century, as in 1880 with the modification of the bays. Its history thus reflects nearly 900 years of evolution, mixing Romanesque heritage, Gothic adaptations and Baroque embellishment. The protected elements include the entire building (cadastre AK 32), highlighting its heritage importance in the Mayenian bocage.

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