Église Saint-Martin-de-Vertou de Vertou

The Église Saint-Martin-de-Vertou is the parish church of Vertou, in the Loire-Atlantique department of the Pays de la Loire region in western France. It stands in the centre of the town on Place Saint-Martin and is dedicated to Saint Martin of Vertou (c. 527–601), the local hermit, abbot and evangeliser of the area south-east of Nantes.

The present building is the fourth church erected on this site:

• The first church was built by Saint Martin of Vertou himself in 575, at the same time as the nearby Benedictine Abbey of Saint-Martin de Vertou, founded at the place of his hermitage.

• The second church was begun in 840; construction was interrupted by Norman invasions, the building was burned in 847 and only completed in 853.

• The third church, Romanesque in style, was built in 945 after the monks returned from exile. It had a dual function (abbey church dedicated to St Martin on the east side and parish church dedicated to St Blaise on the west) and two towers. It was burned on 17 September 1793 during the French Revolution, restored in the early 19th century, and further modified (façade partly rebuilt and nave lengthened) in 1850.

• The fourth and current church was decided upon in 1873. Plans were drawn by the local architect François Bougoüin and the work was carried out by the contractor Cognet. It is built in the Neo-Gothic style.

The church measures 60 m in length and 20 m in width; the height at the transept is 21.50 m and the steeple reaches 67 m (74 m including the cross). Notable furnishings include the ciborium, high altar, statues of the twelve apostles and two side altars with retables, all executed by Joseph Vallet after April 1888; stained-glass windows in the choir by the Nantes glass painter Antoine Meuret (after May 1887) illustrating the life of Saint Martin of Vertou; and a pulpit that was restored and reinstalled in 2010. A statue of the saint by Jean Guitteny (1993) stands at the entrance.

The church belongs to the commune of Vertou and forms part of the parish of Saint-François-des-Côteaux. Only the porch of the former abbey survives nearby and is listed as a historic monument.