SANCTUAIRE NOTRE DAME DU MARILLAIS

A place of pilgrimage since the apparition of the Virgin Mary at Saint-Maurille, on the banks of the river Èvre, the sanctuary of Notre-Dame-du-Marillais is a well-known site for the veneration of Notre-Dame l’Angevine. Between 1890 and 1913, the old chapel was replaced by a sanctuary of majestic proportions, built by the architect Beignet. After the First World War, a 40-metre-high square tower was added to mark the surrounding landscape. The church has a number of stained glass windows. One celebrates the crowning of the Virgin Mary by Pope Pius X in 1931, while another recalls the massacre at nearby Champs des Martyrs during the Vendée Wars. There is also a magnificent rose window. The sanctuary is located at the mouth of the Èvre and Loire rivers, and you can reach Saint-Florent-le-Vieil on foot by taking the Julien Gracq walk, which will take you past the Champs des Martyrs and allow you to explore the banks of the Loire.