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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Saint-Étienne de Niort, although mentioned under this name in the application, seems to correspond to a confusion with the church of Saint-André de Niort, whose detailed sources are available. The latter, located in Les Deux-Sèvres, is a 19th-century neogothic building built between 1855 and 1863 by architect Segretain, after the partial destruction of a medieval church by the Huguenots in 1588. The present church replaces an 11th century Romanesque building, rebuilt in the 15th century, then destroyed during the Revolution and transformed into a military hangar.

The 19th century reconstruction was carried by Abbé Hippolyte Rabier and architect Segretain, who worked for free, supported by Bishop Pie. The neo-Gothic building is distinguished by its two 70-metre arrows, roses and carved portals. The stained glass windows, signed by the workshops Lobin (Tourangeau) and Van Guy, illustrate biblical scenes, while the interior frescoes are the work of painters Louis Germain and Louis-Adolphe Lecoq d'Arpentigny. The church was consecrated in 1874 and listed as Historic Monuments in 2015.

Inside, the furniture includes a neo-Gothic high altar (1874), a 17th century pulpit, and 19th century stalls. The organs, originally built by Cavaillé-Coll in 1924, are now unusable. The church has undergone recent degradation, including vandalism in 2020, and requires restorations, especially for its frescoes and stained glass windows.

A confusion persists with another Niortian church, built by Alcide Boutaud between 1883 and 1900 (also a neo-Gothic style), dedicated to a harbour area and classified in 2008. This second church, described on Monumentum, has a bell tower, stained glass windows of Dagrant, and a crypt housing the tomb of Canon Riquet, instigator of its construction. Both buildings share a history related to the post-revolutionary reconstruction and urban development of Niort in the 19th century.

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