Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine de La Chapelle-du-Bois presents a central vessel, an anterior gate and an apse dating from the mid-12th century, testimonies of its medieval origin. These Romanesque elements, characteristic of the religious architecture of the period, form the historical heart of the building. The structure was gradually enriched, with the addition of a right collateral around 1524 (perhaps reusing 12th century materials), illustrating a first phase of expansion in the Renaissance.

In the 17th century, around 1625-1628, a left collateral was built, reflecting the growing needs of the parish or liturgical evolutions. The tower, erected in 1840, marked a modernization of the building before its major transformation between 1875 and 1890. Under the direction of architect Pascal Truth, the church was then unified and restored in a neo-Roman style, partially erasing the traces of previous additions to harmonize its appearance.

The interior decoration was entrusted to the painter Renouard and the sculptor Cottereau, whose works contributed to the beautification of the building after the restorations. The portal, the only element protected under the Historic Monuments since 1927, attests to the heritage value of certain parts. A communal property, the church today embodies almost nine centuries of architectural and religious history in the Pays de la Loire.

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