At the beginning of the Reform, protestant services were celebrated in barns belonging to members of the congregation: for the district of Saint-Pierre, successively at Bonnemie, Grossetière, Ruilon and finally in Saint- Pierre itself in the Fresneau family's house. Following the signature of the "Édit de Nantes" (Nantes Edict), a first temple was built in 1606 on a site inside the Saint-Gemme Priory. This building was burnt in 1626 to prevent that it be transformed into a catholic church as was the case of that in Le Château.
As of 1628, public practice of the reformed religion was forbidden on the island. The ruins of the temple were demolished in 1683. Protestants then used the Temple in Marennes.
After the Concordat (1803), whereby Napoleon allowed the freedom of worship, the Protestant Church of Saint-Pierre was created.
In the beginning, protestant services took place in a house of Saint-Pierre, then in premises belonging to the Grenot famîly.
In extremis, on his mother's advice, Pierre Grenot, contractor, gave the premises to the Protestant Church which transformed it into the actual temple, with a municipal subsidy of 3.000 francs. This new building was inaugurated on 12 May 1833.
In the middle of the XXth century, the protestant Churches of the estuary of the Seudre and of the Isle of Oleron were reassembled under the name of Reformed Church of the Isles of Saintonge.
Actually, every summer, the presence of a german protestant minister allows the celebration of bilingual services and the meeting of german and french protestant worshippers.
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Text : Robert Martel, all rights reserved.