VENDÉE VITRAIL

In the heart of the beautiful Saint-Hilaire church, whose restoration was completed in 2018, a site dedicated to the art of stained glass, from its conception to its realization, which offers us a playful and interactive discovery of this art. The different areas of the site allow everyone to follow the stages of the design of stained glass windows through models and tools, but also to decipher the messages carried by these works of art and discover the work of master glassmakers from the Vendée. The optical theatre presents the history of stained glass since the 12th century. The church of Saint-Hilaire has three stained glass windows evoking the Vendée War, made by the original master glass artist from Mortagne-sur-Sèvre, Roger Degas (1899-1981). The stained glass windows in the Vendée are presented (Vendée collection). Visitors will be able to contemplate the masterpiece of the site, the stained glass window by Louis Mazetier - one of the leading figures in French sacred art from the 1930s to the 1950s - a 10-metre high window (weighing 4 tonnes) designed to be installed in one of the high bays of the nave of Notre-Dame de Paris. Every 15 minutes, a spectacular projection is shown on this stained glass window initially installed in Notre-Dame, then in a box, and finally "forgotten" in the galleries of Notre-Dame to escape the Second World War. There is also a fun and interactive area for children who can reconstruct the stained glass window in a jigsaw puzzle, and for older children there is a cultural agenda to follow with events and temporary exhibitions.