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Origin and history

The church Saint-Laon de Thouars, located in the Deux-Sèvres (New Aquitaine), is an abbey founded in the early 11th century by Achard, seigneur of Saint-Laon-sur-Dive. Originally, it houses a community of 4 canons and a major relic: the mummified arm of Saint Laon (Laud de Coutances). The building, originally dedicated to Notre-Dame and Saint-Laon, is attached to the bishopric of Poitiers until 1096, when a conflict broke out after its donation to a Benedictine abbey in Saumur.

In 1107 the canons adopted the Augustinian rule and became autonomous, allowing the abbey to prosper thanks to the gifts of the Viscounts of Thouars. The number of canons increases to 12. In the 15th century, Marguerite of Scotland financed the construction of the chapel of the Holy Sepulchre, where it was buried in 1479. The church, which was deeply redesigned at that time, preserved only its bell tower and southern gable of Romanesque origin. Stone vaults replace the visible frame, and an arrow is added.

The abbey gradually declined: the monks abandoned community life in the 16th century, and the church was looted by Protestants in 1569. In 1667, the canons of the Congregation of France (Genovefains) restored discipline and modernized the interior. The building suffered major damage during storms (1711, 1817, 1847), including the fall of the bell tower's arrow in 1711, killing one. At the Revolution, the abbey was dissolved, and the church became parish, while the convent buildings were destroyed or reassigned (college, then town hall).

Ranked a historic monument in 1988 after controversial restorations in the 19th century (d

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