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La Flotte, in the heart of the old stones of Île de Ré

Written on : 20 November 2019
By : Melchior Burin des Roziers
La Flotte, in the heart of the old stones of Île de Ré

Do you know of La Flotte, a small village on Île-de-Ré? Chances are not... But if you hear the names George Washington, Elizabeth II, Tom Cruise and Elvis Presley, you might not know that they all have one thing in common. They all have one thing in common: Nicolas Martiau, their ancestor, who was born in the village of La Flotte in 1592! Now that we have your full attention, we will talk to you about the old stones of La Flotte-en-Ré, because Ile de Ré is not only a destination for beach-hungry holidaymakers, it is also a land of history!
 

The Abbey of Les Châteliers

The Abbey of Les Châteliers

The Abbey of Notre-Dame-de-Ré, known as the Châteliers Abbey, is an old Cistercian abbey near La Flotte. Today there are only ruins left, but this place, classified as a historical monument, is worth a visit. You can wander through the monastery and its small garden, walk through the old walls, under the crossroads of warheads and take a journey back in time through an eventful history. It is necessary to go back to the 1150s to imagine the life of meditation of the first Cistercian monks accompanied by their abbot. The calm before the storm....
 
The buildings were destroyed by the wars as early as 1294, the year in which the English fleet destroyed and destroyed the abbey for the first time before starting again in 1388 and 1462 during the Hundred Years' War. In 1574, it was the turn of the Huguenots to attack these walls on the occasion of the Wars of Religion. 
 
1625: The monastery and its old stones will later be used to build another major structure in the area: the Fort de la Prée, which is the subject of a presentation in the next paragraph. The rest of the abbey's ruins were then entrusted to the Oratorians who transformed the choir of the old abbey church into a chapel. He dedicated it to Saint Laurent and this status lasted until 1793. The abbey, ruined year after year, will soon become a landmark for boats before a late restoration in 1997, which makes it a little more presentable and preserves what remains to be preserved from these Gothic remains.

La Flotte, in the heart of the old stones of Île de Ré

Today, these ruins inspire even the most romantic of us, as you can see on this picture in aerial view of newlyweds.

The Fort of the Prée

The Fort of the Prée

Nearby, between La Flotte and Rivedoux-Plage, Fort de la Prée faces the sea. It is a fortified town built in 1626 in the shape of a star with four bastions connected by semi-circular curtains and doubled by an outer enclosure and a covered path.
In October 1627, when the English occupied the island under the orders of the Duke of Buckingham, the royal troops of France landed at the Prée fort at night. They took their 8,000 enemies backwards, who suffered a heavy defeat. This was the beginning of the history of this fort, which was later modified by Vauban. During the Second World War, the Germans used it as a "Berta" battery to monitor the bay of La Rochelle, integrating an observation blockhouse and a telecommunications blockhouse. After the war, the fort was transformed into a children's holiday centre. Today, the place is open from April to the end of September and during the All Saints' Day holidays. The site offers animations, as well as this historic monument which is open to private events and festivities. 
 

Church of Saint Catherine de la Flotte

This church in the centre of La Flotte dates back to the 15th century in its oldest parts. Its southern gate and stained glass windows are listed as historic monuments. This religious building was also the victim of conflicts between Protestants and Catholics in the 17th century. During the Revolution, the church was looted and then became the "Temple of Reason" (like many churches in France), with the idea of countering Christianity by promoting the cult of Robespierre's "Supreme Being". In passing, the village was not spared by the Terror as the deputy of the Convention Gustave Dechézeaux, a native of the Fleet, was unjustly guillotined after being accused of treason against the Republic. The beginning of the 19th century marked the return of Christian worship in the church of Saint Catherine and the building was embellished in the following years thanks to the work of local artists. If you are passing through the Fleet, take the opportunity to take a look at it!
 

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