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Origin and history

The church Saint-Pierre-aux-Liens du Vieux-Bourg, often wrongly called "Saint-Saturnin", is an ancient medieval parish church located in Nozay, Loire-Atlantique. Founded in the 12th century, it was enlarged between the 13th and 15th centuries, becoming a Gothic building with still visible Romanesque elements, such as the northern walls of the nave in masonry "in epi". Its original name, Saint-Pierre-aux-Liens, bears witness to its connection with an ancient Christian community, associated with a fountain and a Merovingian cemetery.

In the 15th century, the church adopted a flamboyant Gothic style, especially in the north transept, decorated with 16th century murals illustrating the martyrdoms of St Stephen and St Blaise. In the 17th century, a sacristy was added, and the nave windows were modified. Despite plans to expand in the 19th century, the building, considered too small for 4,000 parishioners, was desecrated in 1870 after the construction of a new church in the city. Sold and divided into lots, it is transformed into barns, warehouses or stables, undergoing significant degradation.

Saved in extremis by the Association for the Protection of Historical and Artistic Heritage of Nozay (ASPHAN), created in 1979, the church was bought in pieces between 1980 and 1987. The restoration works, which began in 1983 without initial protection in respect of historical monuments (classified only in 1989), reveal remarkable elements: a Gothic structure in "inverted nave of ship", medieval inscriptions of the 15th century, and an armored liter paying homage to Henry II of Bourbon, Prince of Condé, Lord of Nozay in the 17th century. Today owned by ASPHAN, it hosts cultural activities.

The building, from plan to Latin cross, measures 45 meters long and preserves traces of its parish past, as the medieval baptismal fonts rediscovered in 1995. His north transept, dedicated to Saint Michel and then to Notre-Dame-du-Populo, houses paintings restored in 1986, while the choir, rebuilt in 1828, incorporates rare acoustic pots in the region. The toponymic error "Saint Saturnin", formalized in the 1989 ranking, comes from a confusion with a neighbouring Benedictine priory founded at the end of the 12th century.

Architecturally, the church combines Romanesque styles (early walls), Gothic styles (carpent, northern transept) and classical additions (seventh century windows). Its slate roof, unique nave, and exterior foothills reflect successive changes. The remains of the 13th century bell tower, demolished in 1885, and the traces of the bell ropes on the farms recall its central role in medieval community life. The ongoing restoration aims to preserve this heritage, including the cover of the choir and the southern sacristy.

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