Sanctuaire de la Vraie Croix d'Anjou

Come and discover THE treasure of Baugé, the True Cross of Anjou, in a new setting! Enter the Chapelle de la Girouardière, which has been refurbished so that everyone can admire the relic of the True Cross. From its origins to the present day, discover its history, its link with the history of the Congrégation des Filles du Coeur de Marie founded by Father René Bérault and Anne de la Girouardière in 1790, and its influence in our history: the Cross of Anjou, of Lorraine, emblem of Free France. In 1790, the sisters of la Girouardière received a piece of the True Cross of Christ. This double-crossed relic was brought back from the Crusades in the 13th century and entrusted to the Abbaye de La Boissière, in Denezé-sous-le-Lude, where a chapel was built to serve as its reliquary. It was then entrusted to the Duke of Anjou Louis I, who decided to have it adorned with jewels. It became the emblem of Anjou, then in the 15th century of Lorraine. During the French Revolution, La Croix was declared national property and put up for auction in Baugé. Anne de la Girouardière bought it and made it the symbol of the community and of the Hospice des Incurables that she had just created. In the 20th century, General de Gaulle made this double-beamed cross the symbol of Free France. Today, the True Cross is still preserved and venerated in the Girouardière chapel in Baugé.