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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Martin de Chantenay, located in the former commune of Chantenay-sur-Loire (now Bellevue-Chantenay-Sainte-Anne district in Nantes), is a parish church rebuilt in the 18th century. In 1756, faced with the inadequacy of the old church for a growing population, the states of Brittany and the government of Louis XV financed its reconstruction. The architect Louis Laillaud designed a simple building, with a bell tower covered with a Dome Dome. The old church was demolished in 1759, and the news, consecrated on 17 May 1761, welcomed Acadians deported between 1775 and 1785, before their departure for Louisiana.

During the Revolution, the church was disused, partially destroyed and sold as national property to a Mr. Moustier. After the Restoration in 1833, Abbé Jean Richard entrusted architect Louis Gilée (or Gelée) with the design of a new building, inspired by the original plan but enlarged according to the neo-classical cannons. The sculptor Guillaume Grootaërs made the interior layout (completed in 1836), and the bell tower was erected in 1839. The building, completed in 1841, was listed for historical monuments on 26 March 1990.

Today's architecture thus combines elements from the 18th century (initial plan of Laillaud) and the 19th century (neoclassical reconstruction of Gilée/Grootaërs). The monument reflects the political and religious upheavals of his time, as well as the temporary welcome of the Acadians, a Francophone community exiled after the Great Derangement.

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