Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Chapel of the Daughters of the Christian Union of Tours was built in the 2nd half of the 17th century (circa 1676) as a convent intended to lock up and convert Protestant women to Catholicism. This place reflected the policy of anti-protest repression under Louis XIV, notably after the revocation of the edict of Nantes (1685). The convent, founded in 1676, included a chapel and related buildings, some of which were modified in the 18th and 19th centuries.

In 1844, the chapel was acquired by the Protestant community of Tours, marking a historical reversal: the old conversion tool became a reformed temple. The building, classified as a historic monument in 1992, retains traces of its double past: a facade rebuilt in 1767, a modern organ (2007) replacing a 19th-century instrument, and developments related to its Protestant cultural use. Its architecture thus combines baroque heritage and contemporary adaptations.

The site is part of a turbulent Protestant history: after destroyed temples (1621, 1685) and persecutions, the chapel symbolizes the resilience of this community. Today owned by an association, it also houses an organ by Rémy Mahler (2007), demonstrating its cultural and religious vitality.

The convent, partially demolished (building of 1784 destroyed in 1910), was also used as barracks and administration before it was sold to private individuals. The rue de Buffon, which had been established in 1818, changed its grip. These transformations illustrate the urban changes of Tours between the Ancient Regime and the contemporary era.

External links