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Origin and history

The Protestant temple of Saumur, located on Rue des Païens in the department of Maine-et-Loire, is a religious building built in 1843 by architect Charles Joly-Leterme. It replaces a first temple erected in 1590 thanks to the funding of theologian Philippe Duplessis-Mornay and his wife Charlotte d'Arbeleste, inaugurated in 1593 by Henri IV. This first place of worship was destroyed in 1685 after the revocation of the edict of Nantes, marking the end of Protestant security places such as Saumur, then high place of Protestantism with its Academy founded in 1599.

The present temple, inspired by the ancient temples of Paestum, is distinguished by its neoclassical facade: four Doric columns support a triangular pediment surmounted by a cross. The pediment bears a triangle symbolizing the Trinity, with the inscription "To the glory of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit". Damaged during the 1940 fighting, it has been protected as a historic monument since 1991, reflecting the resilience of the local Protestant community.

Today the parish belongs to the United Protestant Church of France. The building, owned by the municipality, embodies both the 19th century architectural heritage and the memory of religious persecutions under the Old Regime. Its location, in a street with evocative name (of the pagans), recalls the denominational tensions that marked the history of Saumur, strategic city between Loire and Anjou.

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