Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Protestant temple of Souvigné was built on the former lands of the local priory, whose church, ruined during the Wars of Religion, had been restored in the seventeenth century and then abandoned in the Revolution. This building was then assigned to Protestant worship until 1865, when its oldness imposed the construction of a new temple.

In the years 1840-1841 work was undertaken on the old church, but a new temple project, established by architect Bergeron, was launched in 1866. Funding was provided that year, and the furniture, made by carpenter Pierre Garnier, was installed in 1868. The work was completed in 1870, giving rise to a grounded building with pendant vaults and a campanile.

The temple is distinguished by its three apses and its entrance porches resting on square perrons. The doors, decorated with lintels engraved with gospel words, reflect his religious use. Ranked a Historic Monument in 1998, it is now owned by the commune of Souvigné.

The former church of the Priory, linked to the religious conflicts of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, illustrates the cultural changes of the region. The present temple, with its sober and functional architecture, bears witness to the vitality of Protestantism in the Deux-Sèvres in the 19th century, as well as to the adaptation of places of worship to the needs of local communities.

External links