The affair began in 2021. The association La libre Pensée then demanded that the statue of the archangel, located on communal land in Les Sables-d’Olonne (Vendée), be removed, in the name of secularism. Religious symbols cannot be erected in a public space.
In December of the same year, the Nantes administrative court ruled in favor of the association, but the municipality appealed. The administrative court of appeal confirms the first decision in September 2022, then, after a new appeal, the Council of State confirmed, unsurprisingly, the appeal judgment in April 2023.
The appeals being exhausted, it seemed that the glorious archangel would disappear from the place that bears his name. But the one whose name means “Who is like God?” did not intend it that way. He only deigned to move about ten meters. Indeed, a strip of land adjacent to the nearby church was recently ceded to the parish to establish the building of a wheelchair access ramp. Part of this land will host, completely legally, the statue of St. Michael.
As the mayor of the city, Yannick Moreau, writes: “The handful of radical secularists will have their debunking but the will of the people is respected because the statue of St. Michael will remain in its place.”
“Certainly, today, they may have pushed back a statue, but they have advanced our love for French civilization. They may have weakened a base, but have consolidated our desire to celebrate our heroes and our history. They may have their dismantling but will never have our hearts!”, added the city councilor in a press release.
To be precise, the statue of St. Michael the Archangel will not remain in its exact place, but will remain in the square that bears his name. It will have to be moved a few meters, in the name of secularism, and after a court decision.