Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The chapel Notre-Dame de Lorette in La Flocellière came into being in 1617, when it was founded for a community of Carmelites. This first building, marked by a monastic and devoted vocation, underwent a major transformation in the 19th century. The site, originally dedicated to prayer and contemplation, was profoundly redesigned under the impetus of Abbé Dalin, a key local figure for its rehabilitation.

In the 3rd quarter of the 19th century, more precisely in 1868, the former chapel choir was replaced by an exact replica of the Santa Casa de Lorette in Italy. This miniature sanctuary, combined with Marian tradition and pilgrimages, symbolizes devotion to the Virgin Mary and the architectural reproduction of a holy place. The original Santa Casa, according to legend, would be the house of the miraculously transported Virgin from Nazareth to Lorette.

The present building, which has been protected as a Historic Monument since 23 December 1997, bears witness to this dual history: a 17th century Carmelite heritage and a neo-Gothic or neo-medieval renaissance in the 19th century. The replica, classified in the cadastre under the reference AE 88, now belongs to the commune and remains a place of religious and heritage memory, although its access and contemporary uses (visits, rentals) are not specified in the sources.

The location of the monument, reported as "passable" (note 5/10), would locate the chapel 6 Place du Marquis de Surgères in La Flocellière (formerly code INSEE 85090, now integrated into the municipality of Sèvremont in Vendée). This site is part of a territory marked by Catholic influence, where religious buildings played a central role in community life, including as places of assembly and pilgrimage.

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