1 On the left bank was Saint-Gilles-sur-Vie, which has been known as "Sidunum" since ancient times. It is one of the oldest ports on the Atlantic coast. Numerous traces of human life dating back to prehistoric times attest to the passage of the Phoenicians, who used the harbour as a stopover.
Phoenicians who stopped off on the famous "tin route". In the Middle Ages, the port expanded until the 18th century, welcoming ships of up to 100 tonnes.
2 Born in Saint-Gilles-sur-Vie in 1441, Pierre Garcie became a "Master of the Barque". He sailed the seas of Europe at a time when France and England were beginning to fight over control of navigation on the high seas. The great secret of the 15th century was the calculation of longitude, jealously guarded by the Portuguese and Genoese, and the revelation of which was punishable by death! Without longitude, sailors were limited to coastal navigation. It was this secret, which Pierre Garcie wrote about in his book published in 1483, that became known as the "Great Road of the Sea". Hailed by King François I, the peerless navigator listed the particularities of the coasts of Europe: seabed, wind strength, traps, routes to follow, etc.
Repeatedly published and translated into several languages, the book remained the reference for French and English sailors for three centuries. An emblematic figure of the Gillocrucian town, a quay and a college now bear his name. The bust was sculpted by artist Ian Olteanu in 1992.
3 Created by Russian sculptor Zurab Tsereteli and donated to the town in 2012, the statue pays tribute to the famous Russian poetess. Exiled a few years after the Bolsheviks came to power in the 1917 Revolution, Marina stayed in Saint Gilles in the summer of 1926. Considered one of the greatest poets of the twentieth century, Marina's writings are characterised by a melancholy full of suffering and tension. Her world is reminiscent of the rebellious romanticism of a certain Arthur Rimbaud. This dancer of the soul took her own life two years after returning to her native country in 1939.
4 Opposite number 4QUA in the rue Abel Pipaud, a graffiti panel protected by glass is set into a ballast stone wall. Representing a caravel, this three-masted ship, scratched on stone, is a precious testimony to the importance of maritime trade from the 15th to the 18th century. Many ships from England and Holland called at Saint-Gilles, while local boats set off to fish for cod in Newfoundland. Saint-Gilles became the port of call for salt, wine and wheat exports.
5 The château of the Lords of Saint-Gilles dates back to the 17th century. Nicolas Daniau, Lord of Saint-Gilles and a member of Parliament, had it built in 1684 on the site of an old small "houstel" and fortifications dating back to the Middle Ages. The fortress was surrounded by a moat and
with large formal gardens. The castle remained the property of the Daniau family until 1737, when Jean Piou, the King's secretary from Nantes, acquired it. A major underground passageway still exists today, linking the château to the Vie river.
the château to the Vie river. Since the Revolution, the château has had several owners. Today, it has just been restored by a private owner.
The château is not open to the public.
6 Numerous medallions in bas-relief can still be seen on old houses. At nos. 77 and 75, you can still see cartouches decorated with attributes revealing the trades once practised by the owners: cooper, sailor, shipowner, etc.
7 Eugénie Girard left her native Vendée to join the Congrégation Saint-Charles in Angers in 1864. She became a nun in 1869 under the name of Sister Saint-Sulpice. After training as a nurse, she arrived in Saint-Gilles-sur-Vie to care for the sick, maintain the sacristy and the Sisters' House. For 60 years, the nun devoted her life to her mission.
8 As in Croix-de-Vie, part of the walls of Saint Gilles is made up of a wide variety of ballast stones, a legacy from a time when European maritime trade was the main port activity. Many salt-laden ships had to carry ballast stones on their return journey to avoid capsizing. The rock fragments were then unloaded along the channel to make way for the new cargo. This ballast was used to build the walls of houses and buildings, which are now recognised as "remarkable small maritime heritage".
9 An ancient Gallo-Roman thoroughfare and main street linking the hinterland to the port, it was once known as "la grande rue". Its urban layout dates back to the Middle Ages.
10 The church's long history can be seen in its architecture. The first fortified church was built in the 9th century on a rocky spur. It was destroyed during the Wars of Religion, with the exception of the bell tower and the right side of the nave, which have been listed as Historic Monuments since 1926. It was rebuilt in 1883 and restored in 1903 and 1977. The church features a Stations of the Cross, made up of fourteen paintings and a fresco in lava slab, created in 1979 by local artist Henry Simon.
For more information, a booklet published by Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie Town Hall is available in the church.
11 Although today Life unites more than it divides, this was not always the case. First mooted during the French Revolution, the plan to merge the two fierce rivals has had a tumultuous history to say the least.
In addition to the ideological conflict, there is also a natural separation that takes the form of the Vie estuary. Although they were linked by a ford and boats, which allowed for rare exchanges, it wasn't until 1835 that a suspension bridge was built to link the two communes.
the two communes.
After a series of twists and turns, in 1965 the two municipalities got back to the negotiating table, finally leading to the creation of Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie in 1967.
To symbolise the union, the main bridge
the main bridge was named the Pont de la Concorde.
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