Overview

Visit of the Milandrie farm, last home of Noël Pinot

NOEL PINOT Blessed Noël Pinot was a Catholic priest from western France during the Revolution. He was guillotined for his faith in Christ and the church by the revolutionaries. Born in Angers to a weaver father, he became a parish priest in 1770. He was first vicar at Bousse, then a teacher at the school in the village of Montsabert in Coutures. He was then appointed vicar at Corzé. In 1781, he returned to Angers as chaplain of the Hôpital des incurables. «The sick respected him as a saint, despite his youth, cherished him as a father». Anxious to be an educated priest, he studied at the University of Angers and at 41, he obtained the diploma "Master of Arts" (equivalent to the bachelor of arts and sciences). In 1788 he was appointed parish priest of Louroux-Béconnais. HISTORICAL During the French Revolution he refused to take the oath to the Civil Constitution of the clergy. After his public refusal, a group of 50 gendarmes on horseback came to arrest him at night. He appeared before the courts of Angers and Beaupreau where he was sentenced to reside for two years eight leagues from his parish. He continued his ministry in spite of the risks involved in preaching the truth of Christ from village to village. He secretly returns to the Louroux where a priest juror replaced him. In 1793, the Vendeans rose up, took Angers and delivered the Louroux. Noël Pinot could return to his parish and was solemnly received in his church. The Vendeans were again driven out by the revolutionaries. To avoid being recognized by his enemies, the priest dresses as a peasant and lets his beard grow. His head is now at a price. Soldiers roam the country but the peasants watch, warn him in time and hide him. Thus, Noël Pinot continued his apostolate for 8 months. His physical strength diminished. Feeling his end coming, he asked God for courage. He locks up a few days at "les Plassais", in the small hamlet of La Milandrie to make a last retreat. Constantly threatened and hunted by the "Blues", he is denounced by a man named Niquet (worker-carpenter). He was arrested on February 8, 1794 during a clandestine mass that he celebrated in "la Milandrie farm" in Louroux-Béconnais shortly before midnight. The widow Peltier hid the priest in a large chest but the soldiers discovered it. He was brought to Angers, appeared before a revolutionary court and was guillotined in the Place du Ralliement on Friday, February 21, 1794 at 3 p.m. A statue of the cathedral of Angers represents him climbing the first step of the "altar of God". The town of Louroux-Béconnais preserves in the church Saint-Aubin precious objects that belonged to Noël Pinot. He was beatified by Pius XI in October 1926 after many miracles due to his intercession. Informations Guided tour with explanatory panels

Address
La Milandrie, Le Louroux-Béconnais 49370 VAL D'ERDRE-AUXENCE, Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire, France