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Origin and history

The Saint-Laurent church of Angers, founded in 1073 by Michilde, abbesse du Ronceray, was a cemeterial chapel dependent on this abbey. An act of 1155 confirms its foundation, while capitals date the transept of the first half of the twelfth century and the bedside of the second third. Despite several attempts, she never obtained parish rights, as recalled in the texts of 1205 and 1436. The nave, rebuilt at the beginning of the thirteenth century, was already in ruins in 1576, according to a view from Vandelant.

In 1779 the choir and the bell tower lost their cover, accelerating the deterioration of the building. The demolition began in 1796 and continued into the 19th century, leaving only the walls of the nave, bedside and transept, partially rebuilt. Ranked a Historic Monument in 1965, the abandoned church served as a municipal warehouse until 2012, before being rehabilitated in synagogue for the Israelite community of Angers, inaugurated in 2013.

Today, the site houses a stele commemorating 320 deported angeline Jews. Remnants preserved include capitals in situ or in the reserves of the museums of Angers, as well as the northern absidiole. The architecture mixes shale, tuft and various vaults (heads, cradle, cul-de-four), reflecting its multiple phases of construction. Owned by the city, the old church illustrates the contemporary re-appropriation of a medieval heritage.

The building, originally linked to the parish cemetery of La Trinité, was founded twice (1073 and 1119) by Abbess Michilde, as confirmed by a Comtal act of 1155. His status as a cemeterial chapel, without parish function, was reaffirmed by papal bubbles and episcopal decisions in the 12th and 15th centuries. The bell tower, probably of the twelfth century, and the nave of the thirteenth century complete this fragmentary architectural painting.

Recent rehabilitation has preserved the walls of the bedside and transept to the bays, as well as sculptural elements. The site, located on Gay-Lussac Street in the Doutre district, now embodies a dialogue between medieval history and contemporary memory, marking the religious and heritage landscape of Angers.

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