La Bouteillerie Cemetery

La Bouteillerie Cemetery is situated approximately 700 meters east of the cathedral. The cemetery is bordered to the north by {{Interlanguage link|Rue Gambetta, Nantes|lt=Rue Gambetta|fr|Rue Gambetta (Nantes)}} and to the west by {{Interlanguage link|Rue Frédéric-Cailliaud|lt=Rue Frédéric-Cailliaud|fr|Rue Frédéric-Cailliaud}}, which separates it from the Jardin des plantes. To the east, the cemetery is bordered by private properties along {{Interlanguage link|Rue de Coulmiers, Nantes|lt=Rue Coulmiers|fr|Rue de Coulmiers (Nantes)}}. To the south, the site is also bordered by private properties and dead-end private roads perpendicular to the cemetery's surrounding wall and lead to {{Interlanguage link|Rue d'Allonville|lt=Rue d'Allonville|fr|Rue d'Allonville}}.

Two points of access serve to facilitate ingress to La Bouteillerie. The primary entrance is in the northwest quadrant, at the intersection of {{Interlanguage link|Rue Frédéric-Cailliaud|lt=Place de la Médaille Militaire|fr|Rue Frédéric-Cailliaud}}, Gambetta Street, and Frédéric-Cailliaud Street. An alternative entry is located at the northeast corner of the site, on Gambetta Street.

In general, the cemetery is rectangular, measuring approximately 400 meters in length and 170 meters in width. Its orientation is west-southwest to east-northeast.

A geological study conducted before the acquisition of land in 1929 determined that the soil of La Bouteillerie consists of ancient alluvium from the Loire, designated as "Medium Terraces", comprising sandy clay with layers of sand, gravel, and rolled pebbles.{{Harvsp|Kahn|Landais|1990|p=27}} The toponym is derived from the site's historical usage during the Middle Ages when the Bishop of Nantes owned it. The prelate maintained Vineyards and wine cellars on the property. The wine was bottled on the premises, which is the reason why the estate is known as "La Bouteillerie." It was sold by Bishop {{Interlanguage link|Daniel Vigier|lt=Daniel Vigier|fr|Daniel Vigier}} in 1320, then passed to the family of the Marquise de Sévigny in 1523, Christophe Vavasseur in 1554, and subsequently to the Coutances family. The Carthusians acquired it in the 17th century.

In 1774, the property was purchased by the parishes of {{Interlanguage link|Saint-Clément Church, Nantes|lt=Saint-Clément|fr|Église Saint-Clément de Nantes}}, {{Interlanguage link|Sainte-Croix Church, Nantes|lt=Sainte-Croix|fr|Église Sainte-Croix de Nantes}}, Saint-Denis, Saint-Laurent, Saint-Léonard, Sainte-Radegonde, Saint-Vincent, and the {{Interlanguage link|Collegiate church of Notre-Dame, Nantes|lt=collegiate church of Notre-Dame|fr|Collégiale Notre-Dame de Nantes}}, acting on the orders of the King's Council of State under Louis XVI, to establish a shared cemetery for the aforementioned parishes.{{Harvsp|Kahn|Landais|1990|p=23}}

On 10 March 1776, a Royal Declaration was enacted that regulated the burials' practice within churches. Although not prohibited, the new conditions effectively reserved them for a minority of privileged individuals. Two years before this decree,{{Harvsp|Lassère|1994||p=61}} the city of Nantes made a forward-thinking decision to purchase the La Bouteillerie estate and construct a cemetery on the property.{{Harvsp|Kahn|Landais|1990|p=9}} The cemetery was blessed on 25 October 1774, and the first burial, that of René Jannequin, a boy of approximately thirteen years of age, took place on the same day. The second recorded burial was that of Guillaume Grou, a Nantes-based shipowner. Grou had expressed a final wish to be buried in {{Interlanguage link|Saint-Clément Church, Nantes|lt=Saint-Clément Church|fr|Église Saint-Clément de Nantes}}, but the new rules regarding the prohibition of burials in religious buildings thwarted this desire.{{Harvsp|Lhommeau|Roberts|2009|p=|pages=7–8}}

The cemetery located opposite Saint-Clément Church has been in use since at least the 15th century and was intended for Catholic families residing in the parish. An oratory, the Champ-Fleuri Chapel, had been constructed on the site. When the La Bouteillerie Cemetery was established, the cemetery and chapel were abandoned,{{Cite web |title=Anciennes chapelles de Nantes |url=https://lafrancedesclochers.xooit.com/t32-Nantes-44000-a-443000.htm |archive-url=https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/index2.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Flafrancedesclochers.xooit.com%2Ft32-Nantes-44000-a-443000.htm#federation=archive.wikiwix.com&tab=url |archive-date=23 February 2011 |access-date=17 May 2010 |website=lafrancedesclochers.xooit.com |language=fr}} and the entrance gate of the Champ-Fleuri Cemetery was relocated to the new site. This gate was surmounted by a sculpture representing a ship: a brigantine carved in stone. The cemetery was originally named Le Grand brigandin. The gate has since been lost to history, and the name "La Bouteillerie" has replaced it.

File:W1790-Nantes CimBouteillerie 85887.JPG

In 1809, a study was conducted to ascertain the sufficiency of the 10,500 m² of cemetery space used by the three parishes. The findings indicated that the area was adequate to meet the burial needs of the parishes over several decades. However, by 1832, the situation had changed. The city was once again lamenting the usual cases of insufficient space. To bury new deceased individuals, plots were reused before the bodies had fully decomposed.{{Harvsp|Kahn|Landais|1990|p=24}} A land exchange enabled the municipality to augment the area of La Bouteillerie by 65 acres.{{Harvsp|Kahn|Landais|1990|p=25}} In 1890, the municipality acquired an additional 15,000 m², with Mayor {{Interlanguage link|Ernest Guibourd de Luzinais|lt=Ernest Guibourd de Luzinais|fr|Ernest Guibourd de Luzinais}} forecasting that this expansion would be the final one, as it would be adequate "for this part of the city." However, in 1898, Nantes augmented the cemetery by 6,700 m² to accommodate prospective growth.{{Harvsp|Kahn|Landais|1990|p=26}}

File:Nantes - Cimetière La Bouteillerie - Carré militaire.JPG

The history of La Bouteillerie is marked by changes to its structural configuration. On 30 October 1914, the administrative authorities inaugurated a section for the internment of military personnel who had perished.{{Cite book |last1=Cozic |first1=Jean-Charlez |title=La presse à Nantes de 1757 à nos jours |last2=Garnier |first2=Daniel |date=2008 |publisher=L'Atalante |isbn=978-2-84172-395-9 |volume=II. Les années Schwob (1876–1928) |location=Nantes |pages=236 |language=fr}} In the period between that date and 1919, all those who died in military hospitals established in Nantes during World War I were required to be buried. In 1918, 2,500 m² of La Bouteillerie were allocated for the establishment of a military cemetery, which saw the creation of 1,533 graves. Only 560 were granted the "Died for France" mention, and the state provided compensation for 620 graves.{{Harvsp|Kahn|Landais|1990|p=28}} At the beginning of the 21st century, 1,781 military personnel from England, Belgium, Russia, Poland, Germany, and France, as well as combatants from French colonies (Algerians, Senegalese, or individuals with Asian surnames), were interred in this section.{{Cite news |date=3 November 2014 |title=Guerre 14–18, dans les allées du souvenir |url=https://www.ouest-france.fr/pays-de-la-loire/guerre-14-18-dans-les-allees-du-souvenir-2950067 |archive-url=https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/index2.php?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ouest-france.fr%2Fpays-de-la-loire%2Fguerre-14-18-dans-les-allees-du-souvenir-2950067#federation=archive.wikiwix.com&tab=url |archive-date=27 August 2024 |access-date=29 December 2016 |work=Ouest-France |language=fr}} To compensate for the space used, the municipality procured 7,739 m² of adjacent land, a portion of which was designated for the cemetery, which now encompasses an area of approximately 6 hectares. In 2008, on the 90th anniversary of the 1918 Armistice, the military section underwent renovation by a team of ten individuals as part of a reintegration initiative.

The Saint-Philibert excursion steamboat, which operated the route from Noirmoutier Island to the mainland, met its demise in 1931. This tragedy resulted in the deaths of nearly 500 individuals. When it was determined that 54 of the recovered bodies lacked relatives or family members to provide them with a burial, the city of Nantes elected to offer them solemn funerals and inter them in La Bouteillerie. They were subsequently transferred to Saint-Jacques Cemetery{{Harvsp|Lassère|1994}} a few years later.{{Harvsp|Kahn|Landais|1990|p=47}}

One tomb in the La Bouteillerie Cemetery bears the epitaph: "Here lies the body of Lady Escher, born Charlotte Melcion d'Arc. March 6, 1810, September 18, 1875. A De Profundis. CAP 13865." Some scholars posit that she was a descendant of {{Interlanguage link|Jacquemin of Arc|lt=Jacquemin of Arc|fr|Jacquemin d'Arc}}, the elder brother of Joan of Arc.{{Cite web |date=1 November 2017 |title=Nantes Sur les traces de la famille de Jeanne d'Arc à la Bouteillerie |url=https://www.ouest-france.fr/pays-de-la-loire/nantes-44000/nantes-sur-les-traces-de-la-famille-de-jeanne-darc-a-la-bouteillerie-3960984f-5478-3b65-8539-e14ac08fdb7e |archive-url=https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/index2.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.presseocean.fr%2Factualite%2Fnantes-sur-les-traces-de-la-famille-de-jeanne-darc-a-la-bouteillerie-31-10-2017-251396#federation=archive.wikiwix.com&tab=url |archive-date=24 April 2021 |access-date=3 November 2017 |website=presseocean.fr |language=fr}}

Among the graves of notable personalities are: {{Interlanguage link|Ange Guépin|lt=Ange Guépin|fr|Ange Guépin}},{{Harvsp|Flohic|1999||p=729}} {{Interlanguage link|René Guy Cadou|lt=René Guy Cadou|fr|René Guy Cadou}}, {{Interlanguage link|Camille Mellinet|lt=Camille Mellinet|fr|Camille Mellinet}},{{Harvsp|Kahn|Landais|1990|p=220}} Marie Alphonse Bedeau, {{Interlanguage link|Évariste Colombel|lt=Évariste Colombel|fr|Évariste Colombel}}, {{Interlanguage link|Georges-Évariste Colombel|lt=Georges-Évariste Colombel|fr|Georges-Évariste Colombel}}, Serge Danot,{{Cite news |title=Insolite à Nantes. Voici... la nouvelle tombe du créateur de Pollux ! |url=https://www.ouest-france.fr/pays-de-la-loire/nantes-44000/insolite-a-nantes-voici-la-nouvelle-tombe-du-createur-de-pollux-de26f45a-db87-11e9-8deb-0cc47a644868 |work=Ouest France |language=fr}} {{Interlanguage link|Jean-Baptiste Augustin Darbefeuille|lt=Augustin Darbefeuille|fr|Jean-Baptiste Augustin Darbefeuille}}, César Jules Decré, {{Interlanguage link|Hippolyte Dubois|lt=Hippolyte Dubois|fr|Hippolyte Dubois}}, {{Interlanguage link|Dubigeon family|lt=Théodore Auguste Dubigeon|fr|Famille Dubigeon}}, {{Interlanguage link|Jules Grandjouan|lt=Jules Grandjouan|fr|Jules Grandjouan}}, Léa Papin, {{Interlanguage link|Armel de Wismes|lt=Armel de Wismes|fr|Armel de Wismes}},{{Harvsp|Lhommeau|Roberts|2009|p=89}} {{Interlanguage link|Henry Wilfrid Deville|lt=Henry Wilfrid Deville|fr|Henry Wilfrid Deville}},{{Harvsp|Lhommeau|Roberts|2013|p=13}} {{Interlanguage link|Émile Dezaunay|lt=Émile Dezaunay|fr|Émile Dezaunay}},{{Harvsp|Lhommeau|Roberts|2013|p=17}} {{Interlanguage link|Léon Maître|lt=Léon Maître|fr|Léon Maître}},{{Cite web |date=1926 |title=Registre des inhumations, cimetière La Bouteillerie |url=https://archives-numerisees.nantes.fr/v2/am441/inhumation_registre_liste.html |archive-url= |archive-date= |website=Archives municipales de Nantes |page=12 |language=fr}} {{Interlanguage link|André Lebois|lt=André Lebois|fr|André Lebois}}, Guillaume Grou and his wife Anne O'Shiell, Mathurine Fourchon,{{Cite web |title=Brochure of the visit proposed by the Bouteillerie cemetery; Nantes personalities and great families |url=https://patrimonia.nantes.fr/files/live/sites/patrimonia/files/actu/Depliant_cimetiere_bouteillerie.pdf |archive-url=https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/index2.php?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpatrimonia.nantes.fr%2Ffiles%2Flive%2Fsites%2Fpatrimonia%2Ffiles%2Factu%2FDepliant_cimetiere_bouteillerie.pdf |archive-date=27 August 2024 |language=fr}} the Cassegrain family, and the {{Interlanguage link|Gilbert Sourdille|lt=Sourdille|fr|Gilbert Sourdille}} family.

Moreover, the cemetery's reception offers visitors the opportunity to embark on a guided tour,{{Cite web |last=Nantes Patrimonia |title=Parcours découverte du cimetière de la Bouteillerie |url=https://patrimonia.nantes.fr/home/decouvrir/les-parcours-du-patrimoine/parcours-cimetiere-bouteillerie.html |archive-url=https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/index2.php?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpatrimonia.nantes.fr%2Fhome%2Fdecouvrir%2Fles-parcours-du-patrimoine%2Fparcours-cimetiere-bouteillerie.html#federation=archive.wikiwix.com&tab=url |archive-date=27 August 2024 |access-date=14 July 2024 |website=patrimonia.nantes.fr |language=fr}} which allows them to gain insight into the lives and contributions of these renowned individuals.

In 1839, Charles-Mathurin d'Haveloose, a Nantes merchant born in Angers, bequeathed a large sum of money to the city of Nantes. To honor his memory, the city's architect, {{Interlanguage link|Henri-Théodore Driollet|lt=Henri-Théodore Driollet|fr|Henri-Théodore Driollet}}, created a monument, the Haveloose Stele, on which is inscribed: "To Haveloose, benefactor of the poor, benevolence and charity pay homage". This work is located near the concierge's office of the cemetery.

To the left of the historic entrance to the cemetery, a bas-relief entitled Vers l'infini (Towards infinity), a work by Blanche Moria,{{Harvsp|Lhommeau|Roberts|2009|p=14}} has been on display since 1928.

{{Double image

| image1 = Nantes (44) Cimetière La Bouteillerie - Stèle Haveloose - 01.jpg

| caption1 = Haveloose stele.

| image2 = Nantes (44) Cimetière La Bouteillerie - Vers l'infini - Bas-relief de Blanche Moria.jpg

| caption2 = Vers l'infini.

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}}

In October 2014, the cemetery was used as a filming location for the television movie {{Interlanguage link|Meurtres à Guérande|lt=Meurtres à Guérande|fr|Meurtres à Guérande}} from the series Murders in..., although the action is supposed to take place in the cemetery of Bayonne.{{Cite web |last1=Psarianos |first1=Ilias |last2=Cléro |first2=Pascal |date=23 October 2014 |title=Antoine Duléry et Claire Borotra en tournage à Nantes |url=https://www.francebleu.fr/loisirs/evenements/antoine-dulery-et-claire-borotra-en-tournage-nantes-1414081384 |archive-url=https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/index2.php?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.francebleu.fr%2Floisirs%2Fevenements%2Fantoine-dulery-et-claire-borotra-en-tournage-nantes-1414081384#federation=archive.wikiwix.com&tab=url |archive-date=27 August 2024 |access-date=22 January 2023 |website=francebleu.fr |language=fr}}

• Cemeteries of Nantes
• Cemetery Miséricorde

{{clear}}

• {{Cite book |last=Flohic |first=Jean-Luc |title=Le Patrimoine des communes de la Loire-Atlantique |date=1999 |publisher=Flohic éditions |isbn=2-84234-040-X |series=Le patrimoine des communes de France |volume=2 |location=Charenton-le-Pont |language=fr}}
• {{Cite book |last1=Kahn |first1=Claude |title=Des Lieux de mémoire : les quinze cimetières de Nantes |last2=Landais |first2=Jean |date=1990 |publisher=Ouest éditions et Université inter-âges de Nantes |isbn=978-2-908261-01-1 |location=Nantes |language=fr |lccn=92161105}}
• {{Cite book |last=Lassère |first=Madeleine |title=Les cimetières de Nantes au XIXe siècle |date=1994 |publisher=Université de Haute-Bretagne |series=Les annales de Bretagne et des pays de l'Ouest |volume=101 |location=Rennes |pages=139–160 |doi=10.3406/abpo.1994.3535 |language=fr |issn=2108-6443}}
• {{Cite book |last1=Lhommeau |first1=Éric |title=Guide du cimetière de la Bouteillerie Nantes |last2=Roberts |first2=Karen |date=2009 |publisher=Le Veilleur de nuit |isbn=978-2-9528652-5-8 |location=Nantes |language=fr}}
• {{Cite book |last1=Lhommeau |first1=Éric |title=Les Artistes dans les cimetières nantais |last2=Roberts |first2=Karen |date=2013 |publisher=Le Veilleur de nuit |isbn=979-10-90603-03-5 |location=Nantes |language=fr}}

• {{Cite book |last=Lelièvre |first=Pierre |title=Nantes au XVIIIe siècle : urbanisme et architecture |date=1988 |publisher=Éditions Picard |isbn=978-2-7084-0351-2 |location=Paris |language=fr}}
• {{Cite book |last=de Wismes |first=Gaëtan |title=Les Personnages sculptés des monuments religieux et civils, des rues, places, promenades et cimetières de la ville de Nantes : du petit nombre de ceux qui existent, de quelle manière on devrait l'accroître |date=1898 |publisher=Lafoly |location=Vannes |language=fr}}

• {{Cite web |title=Site de la ville de Nantes |url=https://metropole.nantes.fr/recherche?jcrMethodToCall=get&src_originSiteKey=nantesfr&src_nodeType=nmix%3Asearchable&src_terms%5b0%5d.term=Cimeti%C3%A8re&src_terms%5b0%5d.applyFilter=true&src_terms%5b0%5d.match=all_words&src_terms%5b0%5d.fields.siteContent=true&src_terms%5b0%5d.fields.tags=true&src_sites.values=nantesfr&src_languages.values=fr#searchResultAnchor |archive-url=https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/index2.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nantes.fr%2Frecherche.html%3FjcrMethodToCall%3Dget%26src_originSiteKey%3Dnantesfr%26src_nodeType%3Dnmix%253Asearchable%26src_terms%255b0%255d.term%3DCimeti%25C3%25A8re%26src_terms%255b0%255d.applyFilter%3Dtrue%26src_terms%255b0%255d.match%3Dall_words%26src_terms%255b0%255d.fields.siteContent%3Dtrue%26src_terms%255b0%255d.fields.tags%3Dtrue%26src_sites.values%3Dnantesfr%26src_languages.values%3Dfr%23searchResultAnchor#federation=archive.wikiwix.com&tab=url |archive-date=29 November 1998 |language=fr}}

Category:Cemeteries in France

Category:Nantes

Category:Roman Catholic churches in Nantes