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Origin and history

The Saint-Étienne church of Saint-Étienne-de-Montluc was built between 1841 and 1847 under the direction of the Nantes architect Saint-Félix Seheult, who opted for a neo-classical style inspired by Roman antiquity, a break with the dominant neo-Gothic at the time. It replaces a medieval church deemed too small. Its rectangular plane, without transept, is divided into three vessels bounded by pillars, and ends with a semicircular apse housing the choir. A tower overlooks the porch, with four bells, the oldest of which dates back to 1827.

The nave, vaulted in a cradle, is decorated with portraits of apostles and a starry sky painted in 1921, illuminated by 20 stained glass windows (1922-1924) illustrating evangelical scenes. It preserves two ancient wooden statues, representing Saint Clair (the first bishop of Nantes, invoked for the evils of the eye) and Saint Cornelius (the patron saint of horned beasts in Brittany), inherited from the previous church. The wooden pulpit (1861) bears the effigies of the four evangelists and of Saint John the Baptist, while the present paving (1953) alternates black and white stones.

The choir, raised and equipped with wooden stalls (1861), houses sculptures of Saint Anne and Saint Joseph by Amédée Ménard, as well as a credence of Louis XV style perhaps from the castle of Haie Mahéas. The current altar, a marble table of Lunel (1953), replaces an old polychrome altar. A statue of Saint Stephen, patron saint of the parish, sits in an azure niche, recalling his martyrdom by stoning in the first century. A relic of the saint, reported from Jerusalem in the sixth century by Epiphany (14th Bishop of Nantes), would be preserved locally.

The church has been the subject of numerous renovation campaigns since 1936, especially for its exterior coating, giving it its current light color. It has been listed as historical monuments since 2007. A carved granite lintel, representing St. Peter and his keys, remains at n°12 of the street of Peace, vestige of the medieval church disappeared.

Located in the centre of the village, the church embodies a remarkable religious and architectural heritage, mixing ancient heritage, 19th century sacred art and preserved elements of earlier buildings. Its steeple, visible from a distance, and its narrative stained glass windows make it an emblematic place for Saint-Étienne-de-Montluc.

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