Discover the Armand Jean bell, a gift to La Flotte from Cardinal de Richelieu
Its history begins in 1624, when the church of Sainte-Catherine, like most of the island's other religious buildings, is listed as "in ruins" as the Wars of Religion continue. In this part of France, the two belligerent camps in these clashes were mainly Catholics, on the side of French royalty, and Protestants, eager to emancipate themselves from power in the La Rochelle region with the help of the British crown.
In 1628, once La Rochelle had been subdued following its siege, and its Protestant and English allies annihilated at the Battle of Feneau the year before, the powerful Cardinal de Richelieu, minister and right-hand man to Louis XIII, poured large sums of money into rebuilding. One of these investments was used to cast a bronze bell for the church in La Flotte.
Cast in 1632, it was christened by the parish priest with the name Armand Jean. This was no coincidence, as it was the name of its godfather: Armand Jean du Plessis de Richelieu, our famous cardinal! Weighing in at 900 kg, it remained in place for 30 years, before being temporarily moved to a new location to raise the bell tower. Then, in 1955, after 323 years of service, it was taken down and replaced by three new sisters for safety reasons. Since then, the Armand Jean bell has been proudly displayed near the church's main entrance.
The bell reads: "En l'année 1632, j'ai été faicte pour servir à Dieu en l'église Ste-Catherine de La Flotte...", and so on. But in addition to this text, we note the presence of the royal shield adorned with three fleurs-de-lis, and the coat of arms of Cardinal de Richelieu.
In 1628, once La Rochelle had been subdued following its siege, and its Protestant and English allies annihilated at the Battle of Feneau the year before, the powerful Cardinal de Richelieu, minister and right-hand man to Louis XIII, poured large sums of money into rebuilding. One of these investments was used to cast a bronze bell for the church in La Flotte.
Cast in 1632, it was christened by the parish priest with the name Armand Jean. This was no coincidence, as it was the name of its godfather: Armand Jean du Plessis de Richelieu, our famous cardinal! Weighing in at 900 kg, it remained in place for 30 years, before being temporarily moved to a new location to raise the bell tower. Then, in 1955, after 323 years of service, it was taken down and replaced by three new sisters for safety reasons. Since then, the Armand Jean bell has been proudly displayed near the church's main entrance.
The bell reads: "En l'année 1632, j'ai été faicte pour servir à Dieu en l'église Ste-Catherine de La Flotte...", and so on. But in addition to this text, we note the presence of the royal shield adorned with three fleurs-de-lis, and the coat of arms of Cardinal de Richelieu.
