Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church Saint-Martin de Châtillon-sur-Colmont, located in the Mayenne department in the Pays de la Loire region, is a building of Romanesque origin, profoundly renovated between the 11th and 17th centuries. It is distinguished by its slightly inclined southward orientation and its dimensions 37 metres long by 21 metres wide, outside the bell tower. The church is composed of a unique nave extended by a flat bedside choir, flanked by six side chapels, three to the north and three to the south. A square tower forming bell tower is located at the southeast corner, while a sacristy is built between this tower and the choir. The nave and the initial transept probably date from the 11th century, as evidenced by elements of masonry and a clogged Romanesque window.

The history of the church is marked by key events, including its fire by the Huguenots in 1572 and its partial reconstruction in the sixteenth century under the aegis of the Girard family, lords of the parish. In 1594, the seigneury passed to the Plessis-Châtillon through the marriage of Diane-Renée de Poisieux and René du Plessis. In the 17th century, the church underwent important changes: the choir was extended in 1605, a family funeral crypt was dug under the choir in 1629, and several altarpieces were added, including that of the high altar in 1640. The crypt, decorated with frescoes depicting intersecting skulls and tibias, houses seven lead sarcophagi and a lead heart, testifying to its use as a seigneurial vault.

The church furniture is particularly rich, with three altarpieces classified as historical monuments. The rosary altarpiece, dated 1639 and attributed to architect Tugal Caris, presents fifteen medallions illustrating the mysteries of the rosary. The altarpiece, made in 1640 by Michel Pasquier, bears the coat of arms of Plessis-Châtillon and Nicole de Reynier. The church also houses a 17th century polychrome terracotta Madonna with Child, attributed to Charles Hoyau, as well as a Gallo-Roman Milepost of the third century, discovered nearby and preserved in the nave since 1990.

The crypt, classified as a historical monument in 2012, is accessible by a hatch located at the entrance to the choir. It is 2.67 metres long by 3.40 metres wide and is entirely covered with black monochrome frescoes on a white background, representing stylized tears and skulls. The first burial recorded was that of René du Plessis-Châtillon in 1629. Profaned in 1793, the crypt kept its contents intact until its exploration in the early 2000s.

The church is also linked to local figures, such as Eugene Barbedette, parish priest from 1910 to 1927 and one of the seers of Pontmain's Marian apparition. Its bell tower, rebuilt in 1929 after a partial collapse and a fire in 1928, dominates the village located 224 meters above sea level. The building, built of granite and covered with frames, is a major architectural and historical testimony of the region.

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