Synopsis :
Origin
of the church ; The
restoration of XIXth
; Chœur
; woodworks
; large
stained glasses ; the
nave ; the
vault ; statues
; the
bell-tower ; priests
; the
bell
close churches: 
Saint Agnan sur
Erre; Saint
Jouin de Dancé ;
Saint Martin de
Berd'huis ; Saint
Pierre la Bruyère
Saint Hilaire sur Erre: general presentation
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The church of St Hilaire, of Romance origin was built in XIth century by the monks of St Gratien de Tours. It " was altered in XVIth, disfigured in XIXth " (according to " Churches of the Flowering ash " of Jean Aubert). A modest swimming pool of XVIth marks the old site of the chorus. At outside, one notices the trace of small Romance windows walled about 1860. In the south opens a pretty gate rebirth under contour and arc in accodance. |
In 1853, only existed already the nave of today, an insufficient space to accomodate the parochial community of then. Saint-Hilaire counted thousand inhabitants and had enough faith to follow the Bailleul abbot in his incredible company. Louis-Etienne Bailleul, priest of 1832 to 1866 rebuilt the presbytery become rural hearth in 1972. The current chorus as well as the total rehandling of the church are a work completed by the abbot Jean-Louis Olivier, priest of 1866 to 1896. These two priests have their tombs with the cemetery and deserve that is preserved their memory.
Built in 1853 at the same time as the sacristy within Ravine of Bellème, Chœur is largely lit by the stained glasses of the Largueil abbot, said &#«Philbert»(Mans 1853). These stained glasses are still sadly dilapidated in 1995, whereas the municipality has just remade bellement coated and paintings of the walls and the vault (undertaken Chevée of St-Hilaire). The Cross of procession, of the same time, was restored in 1991.
The Master-furnace bridge (1864) with the four evangelists in low-relief.
The stalls (1865) and the small furnace bridges with retable as well as &#«the stools»and the lectern (1867), are of Moisseron of Angers.
Other work of joinery is of Hugot de Saint-Hilaire.
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1 - Poem from Creation / 2 - Adam and Eve / 3 - Caïn kills his/her Abel brother 4 - Noah's Ark, the flood / 5 - Abraham and his Isaac son / 6 - Christmas, Nativity (left) 7 - Worship of the shepherds / 8 - the escape in Egypt / 9 - the workshop of Nazareth 10 - Jesus and doctors of the Law / the 11 - Baptism of Jesus / 12 - Wedding at Cana 13 - The Resurrection of Lazare (completely destroyed Image) / 14 - the adulteress / 15 - miracle of the loaves and fishes 16 - Jesus in front of Pilate (completely destroyed Image) / 17 - Jesus carries his Cross / 18 - crucifié Jesus 19 - " Thomas, see my hands " / 20 - " Go, teach all the nations " / 21 - the Rise |
NB: two images are entirely destroyed and thirteen, for certain, are very seriously damaged.
Southern face: large a Christ out of painted wooden, with three nails, previously on the beam of the chorus dated 1565.
Northern face: a curious unit, the pulpit assembled on a confessional of XVIIth (as in Bivilliers).
The path of Cross (1872) out of moulded plaster painted within a framework of solid oak signed Moisseron.
**time-out** the new window neo-gothic have be equip in 1865 of stained glass Philbert, victim of vandalism after the departure of abbot Souvray in 1927, last priest resident, transfer with Villiers on Mortagne.
... is skirting and sand pits along the walls.
Smashed by the fall of the bell-tower, it was restored about 1907 and, later by M.Mary, carpenter with St-Hilaire.
They are 1860-1880.
Saint Hilaire bishop of Poitiers, patron saint of this place, are also represented in the stained glass of the bell-tower.
The blessing of the statue of Holy Jeanne d' Arc was the occasion of a sumptuous festival the very same day of the inauguration of the war memorial (May 7, 1922).
It is a whole history!
- the old bell-tower typically Percheron showed since 1880 of the signs of tiredness such as, in 1899, the Prefecture prohibited to sound the bell!
- In 1900, one starts to build a new bell-tower... Patatras! The building site collapses on September 27, 1901.
- In 1904, the bell-tower, under the direction of a new architect, is rebuilt such as we see it now.
After the sudden death, to the 62 years age of the Bailleul priest, to the time of the priest Olivier (a scholar), one says that there was ten seminarists with St-Hilaire. In fact, one finds the trace of seven priests and, among them:
- Théodule-Adolphe Hugot (1851-1925), wire of the carpenter, who became higher seminar of Sées and manufacturer of the seminar of Flers.
- Isidore-Adolphe Charron (1867-1952), missionnaire in Japan during 60 years, officer of Academy, author of many Japanese works (There still exists in Saint- Hilaire a martyrdom: the Cross Cartwright, with the angle of the path of the Gummed Forgeries and the road of the Manors).
Priests in residence with St Hilaire:
Jean Roussel 1807-1822
Mr Brunet 1822-1832
Louis-Etienne Bailleul 1832-1866
Jean-Louis Olivier 1866-1896
Leon-Alexandre Dumans 1896-1902 Jules François 1904-1913
(In Chênedouit where it is deceased in 1929, one accurately maintains its tomb granite).
Victor Souvray 1920-1927
VLAN 1772 IAY ETE BENITE PAR MAITRE LOUIS CHARLES FRANCOIS MALLET CURE DE CETTE PAROISSE ET NOMME LOUISE CHARLOTTE PAR MESSIRE LOUIS DECOLLET ECUYER SEIGNEUR DE LA DAVILIERE ET PAR DAME ELIZABETH IEANNE CHARLOTTE LEBOULEUR EPOUSE DE MESSIRE FRANCOIS DE CARPENTIN CHEVALIER SEIGNEUR DE LORIERE SIEUR IULLIEN LOUIS BOUCHET DESMARAIS SYNDIC CHARLES HEURTEBIZE ET F LEPAGE TREZORIERS MD CHACRITEN
IB MICHEL LEIEUNE VINCENT THERIOT MON FAITE
(authentic statement)
