THE BUZAY TOWER
Read moreThis tower is the last vestige of the Cistercian abbey founded by Bernard de Clairvaux and burnt down after the French Revolution, during the Vendée Wars. The abbey's wealth came from the income from its tenant farms and the exploitation of salt in the Bay of Bourgneuf. In the 18th century, it enjoyed a great period of prosperity by calling on an engineer, trained in the Poitou marsh, to polder the marshes. It was at this time that the Buzay Canal was dug by the last lords of Retz (the Binet de Jasson), in order to facilitate navigation between the Loire and Lake Grand-Lieu. Burned down in 1794, the abbey was then rebuilt. The marble altar of Greece and Italy, which would have been built in 1540, is now located in the church of Paimboeuf. A pulpit is located in the church of Bouguenais and a stall is located in the church of Couëron, two municipalities in the Nantes area. As for the bells, they were transferred to Chartres Cathedral.