Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre

Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre
The church of Saint-Laurent, in Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre
Coat of arms
Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre
Location within Pays de la Loire region  Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre
Coordinates: 46°57′34″N 0°53′30″W / 46.9594°N 0.8916°WCoordinates: 46°57′34″N 0°53′30″W / 46.9594°N 0.8916°W
Country	France
Region	Pays de la Loire
Department	Vendée
Arrondissement	La Roche-sur-Yon
Canton	Mortagne-sur-Sèvre
Intercommunality	Canton de Mortagne-sur-Sèvre
Area^1	15.79 km^2 (6.10 sq mi)
Population (2006)^2	4,331
• Density	270/km^2 (710/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	85238 / 85290
Elevation	98–199 m (322–653 ft) (avg. 110 m or 360 ft)
^1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. ^2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France.

Pilgrimage

Some 25,000 visitors per year arrive at the town, for it is the burial place of two well known Roman Catholic figures: Saint Louis de Montfort and Blessed Marie Louise Trichet. The Basilica of Saint Louis de Montfort at Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre is an impressive structure that attracts a good number of pilgrims each year.

On September 19 1996, Pope John-Paul II visited the town to meditate and pray on the adjacent tombs of Saint Louis and Blessed Marie Louise. Pope John Paul II's strong Marian devotion was highly influenced by the Mariology of Saint Louis de Montfort. According to his Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae, the pontif's personal motto "Totus Tuus" was inspired by St. Louis' doctrine on total consecration to the Virgin Mary.^[1]

Claire Ferchaud was born in Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre.

See also

• Communes of the Vendée department

References

• INSEE

1. Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae