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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The church Saint-Étienne de Passavant-sur-Layon, located in the department of Maine-et-Loire in Pays de la Loire, is a religious building dating back to the 11th century. Originally, it was part of a priory dependent on the abbey Saint-Florent of Saumur, as evidenced by the remains of the apse of the choir and the span under steeple still visible today. These architectural elements, dated from the 12th century, are the only preserved traces of this medieval period.

In the 15th century, the priory became a parish church dedicated to St Stephen, marking a change of vocation for the building. Restoration work was undertaken in the 19th century, notably in 1862 and 1863, under the direction of a certain Bonnet, whose attribution was confirmed by historical sources. These interventions helped rebuild the nave, while keeping the oldest parts of the building.

The church was classified as historical monuments in 1926, a recognition that specifically concerned the choir, adjacent span and southern lateral chapel. These protected elements illustrate the heritage importance of the site, linked to the religious and architectural history of Anjou. Today, the church belongs to the commune of Passavant-sur-Layon and remains a testimony to the architectural and spiritual evolutions of the region since the Middle Ages.

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