Timeline

Origin and history

The church of Saint-Sébastien is the main religious building of Pornichet, in the Loire-Atlantique, dedicated to Saint Sebastian. It depends on the Catholic parish of the Trinity of Escoublac-Pornichet, attached to the diocese of Nantes. Its modest architecture and its neo-Gothic style reflect its central role in a municipality that was then growing in tourism.

In 1860 Pornichet was only a small village of fishermen and paluders, whose salt marshes were dried up in 1898-1899. The commune was officially established in May 1900, with about 1,000 inhabitants. The present church, built between 1862 and 1868, replaced an old chapel dedicated to St.Sebastien and St.Roch, of which only the porch remains today.

The building, of modest dimensions and not oriented according to the traditional liturgical axis, adopts a form of Latin cross. Its pentagonal bell tower, topped by an arrow, and its garbled porch adorned with a pinacle illustrate the characteristics of the neogothic style. Inside, the choir, initially decorated, was stripped, and the high altar replaced by a sober table. The nave, without bottoms, has two bays illuminated by stained glass windows.

The construction of this church coincides with the rapid development of Pornichet as a seaside resort. It symbolizes the transition from a rural village to a tourist destination, while maintaining a link with its past as a community of fishermen and paluders. The porch of the old chapel, still visible, bears witness to this local history.

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