Located in the heart of the Saint-Hilaire church in Mortagne sur Sèvre, Vendée Vitrail offers a fun and interactive discovery of the art of stained glass, the art of light.
The centerpiece of the site is an exceptional stained glass window created by the Vendée master glassmaker Louis Mazetier.
The stained glass
Created in 1937, this stained glass window by Louis Mazetier is nearly 10 meters high and weighs more than four tons. It was to take place in one of the high bays of the nave of Notre-Dame de Paris. Placed in the cathedral for a few months, it was crated, stored and then “forgotten” in the stands of Notre-Dame to escape the Second World War.
Saint-Hilaire Church
Built in 1904 thanks to donations from parishioners, the Saint-Hilaire church in Mortagne-sur-Sèvre closed to the public in 2007 for security reasons.
Rehabilitation
The church was restored from 2016 to accommodate a cultural project, while maintaining the religious use of the building. The church officially became “Vendée Vitrail” in 2018.
The stained glass window by Louis Mazetier
The Heritage and Archeology service of the Department of Vendée found and appraised this stained glass window. The DRAC (Regional Department of Cultural Affairs) of Ile-de-France entrusted this work of art to the Department so that it finances its restoration, carried out by the Atelier Vitrail France. The stained glass window, now installed inside the Saint-Hilaire church, is a remarkable component of the route allowing you to discover the art of stained glass.
An innovative journey
The Saint-Hilaire church finds a second life thanks to this renovation and the development of spaces intended for stained glass:
- The stained glass window from its conception to its realization
- The messages of the stained glass windows
- Optical theatre: the history of stained glass since the XNUMXth century
- Master glassmaker Roger Degas
- Stained glass in Vendée: a great documentary resource on the churches of Vendée and their stained glass windows.
- For children: touch pad to reconstruct the stained-glass window into a puzzle
