Church of Brouage
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Canada helps to restore Champlain’s Church Located in the South West of France, in Charente-Maritime, stands a XVII Century church in the fortified village of Brouage dedicated to its most glorious son, Samuel de Champlain, whose exploits are enshrined in Canadian history. The Church was in need of restoration – it had been neglected for many decades. In the late 1970’s, the last parish priest, father Maxime Le Grelle, asked the late Canadian philanthropist David Stewart and his wife Liliane to provide assistance for the restoration of the church. The request was answered favorably and thus began a unique project to recall the legacy of Champlain and of the pioneers engaged in the permanent settlement of the country that would become Canada. The restoration would focus exclusively on the creation and installation of stained-glass windows in the church and would be carried out with the support of the governments and public authorities of the territories explored by Champlain in Canada. As a master glass artist, Nicolas Sollogoub, created an original style for his glass windows in Brouage since there were no trace left of the first stained glass windows of the church which were destroyed during the French Revolution when the church was used as a prison. His artistic undertaking was inspired by the spirit of the stained-glass window tradition of the Charente-Maritime region, by sobriety in the choice of colours and by incorporating, people, events and landscapes that were faithful to Champlain drawings and to Canadian heritage. To date 9 stained glass windows have been made, installed and sponsored 1982 The Province of New-Brunswick. It depicts the first French settlement in Canada. 1983 Québec City. The window recalls the arrival of Champlain and the permanent settlement by Europeans. 1987 French Republic. The window recalls the destiny of a city with a glorious past. 1991 The Province of Ontario. The window celebrates the exploration by Champlain of the land which has become Ontario. 1994 The widow of the artist Nicolas Sollogoub, offered a window that shows the various undertakings of the first bishop of Québec in the St-Lawrence Valley and in Louisiana. 2001 The Province of Québec. The window identifies the explorers and events that have shaped its history and pinpoints its abundance of natural resources. 2008 The City of Montreal. The window illustrates the founding of the city by Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve. 2015 Macdonald Stewart Foundation. The window depicts the work of the first nurse in New France who founded the Hôtel-Dieu Hospital in Montreal. 2017 Memorial Committee of New France. The window recognizes the important contribution of the nun who founded the Notre-Dame Congregation, devoted to the education of young girls. There are two other window bays to be filled in order to complete the project. Anyone interested in supporting this initiative should please be in touch using the contact form on this website. Nicolas Sollogoub – master glass artist who created the majority of the windows Born in France of Russian parents, the late Nicolas Sollogoub moved to Montreal in the 1950’s where he became well known for the quality of his work as a set designer, decorator and painter at the CBC French Television Network. He rapidly showed his great interest for public art and the use of creativity and design to enrich our collective memory. At the request of David Stewart he took part and managed the restoration of the art work of the Château Dufresne, a XIX century mansion abandoned for several years after being occupied by a school and a museum. It is located across the street from the 1976 Olympic installations. Again, at the request of David Stewart, at the beginning of the 1970’s, he designed and produced the first stained-glass window installed in the Montreal Metro, at McGill station, to honour the first mayors of the city. In 1980, he was approached one final time by David Stewart to create stained -glass windows for the church of Brouage. The Village of Brouage Brouage, birth place of Samuel de Champlain, was founded in 1555. Under Louis XIV, the city was fortified by Vauban his chief naval architect to fight against neighbouring La Rochelle. A citadel was built on soft marshes, which meant building a great platform of oak posts and laying a thick layer of stones on top held by iron work. For a century, the town was a thriving cosmopolitan seaport of 4000 people exporting salt across Europe. During the war of religions, the port became blocked by sunken ships from the Huguenots of La Rochelle to prevent the port from trading. With the salting of the bay, the port became less accessible to ships and a long period of decline followed. During the French Revolution the city was transformed into a prison. With high ramparts, monumental gates and unoccupied premises, it was a perfect place for confining suspects. The barracks and sheds filled rapidly. Today, less than 300 people reside in the village of Brouage. In the past decades, the French State has carried out various works to restore the village, especially the fortifications and associated buildings, and the salt marshes. The village is classified as – Grand Site de France. The Church of Brouage The construction of the church began in the early years of the XVII century and was completed in 1608, the year Québec City was founded by Champlain. Its construction was the result of a large concentration of royal troops and inhabitants following the fortification of the city by Vauban. At the time, only marine carpenters existed explaining why its shape resembles the reversed bottom of a boat. From an architectural point of view, military sobriety dominates the construction of the church, a large building with the naves separated by cylindrical pillars on Doric columns. During the religious wars in France between the Catholics and the Huguenots, the church was continually pillaged and later during the French Revolution it was a prison for priests. According to the death registries, 42 priests died in the church. The official restoration of the church as a memorial to New France began in 1982 with the installation of the first stained-glass window sponsored by the Province of New Brunswick. The Church is communal property and serves as a community centre for concerts, exhibitions, etc. |
For donation, please visit their Website.
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