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Church of Notre-Dame Lady of the Assumption

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GBP £1.01
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GBP £5.22
About Church of Notre-Dame Lady of the Assumption

Started in 1423 under the reign of Charles VII, from a previous Romanesque building, the Notre-Dame de l'Assomption church in Fontenay-le-Comte bears striking witness to the economic, political and intellectual prosperity of the city at the dawn of modern times. Fontenay then depended on Arthur de Richemont, Constable of France: the city was brought to him by his marriage to Marguerite de Bourgogne, widow of the Dauphin Louis de Guyenne. It owes its wealth to the talent of its weavers and tanners, and to the influence of its fair, one of the most important in the kingdom.

Born of this period of abundance, the Notre-Dame church is remarkable for the size and Gothic elegance of its flamboyant spire (82.50 m), the modeling of its portals (15th and 16th centuries) and its chapels Renaissance (16th century), as well as the delicacy of the statues of saints (middle of the 15th century) which adorn its bell tower: that of Saint Jacques-le-Majeur in pilgrim's dress recalls the past importance of the city on the roads to Compostela .

Work on the church was completed at the beginning of the 16th century, in the very favorable climate that King Louis XI created in 1471 by granting the city the privileges of a royal commune.

Having lost its vaults during the Wars of Religion, the church was restored at the beginning of the 17th century, thanks to the efforts of the entire population. So much so that in 1630, Pope Urban VIII proposed it to replace the cathedral of Maillezais, mutilated by the fighting, before the episcopal see was finally awarded to La Rochelle in 1648.

In the belfry, like a beating heart, the Saint-Venant bell, cast in 1466, still rings the hours and highlights of the city. It is one of the oldest still in operation in the country.