Saint Aubin d’Epiré Church

The small village of Epiré belonged to a very old town situated halfway between Savennières and Bouchemaine. In the late 18th century is had 400 inhabitants.
Over the centuries, the church, which is dedicated to Saint Aubin, was the headquarters of an important parish, and there are records of it dating back to the 11th century. At the time, the parish and the church belonged to the monks of St. Nicolas, then to the bishop of Angers until the late 12th century. In the 18th century, it came under the Deanery of Candé. The church has a single nave, with a 21-metre-long panelled vault. At the level of the transept there was probably a small square chapel which has been walled in.
In the 19th century, despite having undergone restoration work, it was replaced by the new church not far away, which was built from 1880 onwards thanks to a donation from the Las Cases family. The old church had many paintings, objects and stained glass windows, some dating from the 16th century, which are now dispersed or damaged, with the exception of the marble stoup which has been transferred to the new church.
The old church is now a private property and houses the cellar of the Château d'Epiré wine estate. You can access it via the Château's very nice grounds.
It is open every day from 9 am to 6 pm and entry is free.

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