The Church of Saint Thomas
The Church of Saint Thomas in late Romanesque and Gothic Styles, was built in the late 12th century on a Carolingian site.
The castle of the dukes of Brittany
On the 15th of April 1598, Henri IV signed, very likely at the castle of the dukes of Brittany, the famous ‘perpetual and irrevocable edict of Tolerance’ awarding freedom of...
Little-Holland
The name Little-Holland is attributed to the settling down of Dutch merchants, most of them Protestants, on the banks of the Loire river.
The passage Pommeraye
The passage Pommeraye was named after the notary who set up a shareholder organisation who financed its construction.
Cambronne courtyard
General Cambronne was born in Saint Sébastien in 1770. In 1792 he volunteered, and took part in all the Napoleonic campaigns. He accompanied the Emperor to Elba Island;
The Dobrée quarter
The Protestant Dobrée family fled to Guernsey after the Revocation. They came back to France in the late 18th century and settled in Nantes.
The Edict of Nantes square
With the Edict of Nantes, Henri IV granted a slightly restricted freedom of worship to the Protestants, along with about 80 strongholds, such as La Rochelle, Beauvoir-sur-Mer, Montaigu…taken away by...
Harouys street
Harouys was the mayor of Nantes in 1572. During Saint Bartholomew’s Day, on 24 August, the city council refused to obey the Guise orders to massacre the Protestants as was...
The Carmélites street
The cinema at number 12bis is a former Carmelites chapel, and was the first temple granted to the Protestants at the time of the Concordat (1801). Worshipping took place there...
Paul Bellamy street
Paul Bellamy (1866-1930), a committed Protestant, joined the city council in 1908, and was elected mayor two years later. He remained in office for 18 years.
The Erdre riverside
In the 18th century the Protestants of Nantes used to embark on gabarres (traditional boats) at Port Communeau to go to Sucé where the temple was located.
Present temple on Édouard-Normand square
The temple on Édouard Normand square was built between 1956 and 1958 to replace the one destroyed during the war.
Ecumenism, what for and how?
As soon as the first Christian communities were founded, two concerns appeared. Firstly living together in global village, namely the earth, secondly attempting to unite Christians. The debates could not...
Celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017
The year 2017 marked the 500th anniversary of the display of the theses against indulgences, on 31 October 1517, and the origin of the Protestant Reformation. The important Jubilee was...
Protestantism in the Béarn region
Protestantism was implanted in the independent Principality of Navarre thanks to Jeanne d’Albret, its sovereign. It was joined to France by Louis XIII and the Protestant state disappeared. In spite...
Forerunners of the Reformation
Long before Luther and Calvin others worked towards a reformation of the Catholic Church. Throughout the Middle-Ages there were constant movements calling for reformation, some were absorbed by the Catholic...
The Union of Provinces or the Huguenot State (1573-1577)
The Protestants who lived in the South of France reacted to the St Bartholemew Massacre in 1572 by gathering together and founding an administrative community in 1573. This was called...
Henry I of Bourbon, Second Prince of Condé
Henry I, second prince of Condé (1552 – 1588), was Henry of Navarre’s cousin. He was a somewhat austere Protestant who, due to his noble birth, became a leader of...
Louis Appia (1818-1898) was a pioneer of humanitarian aid
Louis Appia (1818-1898) was a philanthropic physician who decided to live in Geneva; on 13 February 1863 he became one of the five founder members of the International Committee for...
Odet de Coligny, Cardinal of Châtillon
Odet de Châtillon (1517-1571) was probably the most mysterious of the three Coligny brothers. He owed his wealth, authority, rank and prestige to the fact he was a Cardinal of...