The first church A chapel or small subsidiary church was constructed between the second half of the 11th century and the end of the 12th century. In the 18th century, the priest, theologian, and historian Nicolas Travers postulated the existence of a construction before 1186, citing the mention of a "St. Nicolas cemetery" in that year. At that time, the area was part of the
Similien of Nantes parish. In 1226,
Peter I of Brittany initiated the construction of an enclosure that encompassed the St. Nicolas neighborhood.
15th century extension In the early 15th century, the fortifications had deteriorated to such an extent that Duke
Francis I was prompted to undertake a program of renovation and reconstruction. This included the rebuilding of the St. Nicolas gate, situated at the junction of present-day and streets. During this period, the St. Nicolas church also underwent renovations. Its name was first mentioned in a document dated 1444, which certified the work on the building's portal by
Mathurin Rodier. Rodier was also responsible for the reconstruction of the nearby St. Nicolas gate. The church was situated at the heart of a parish bearing its name. Consequently, plots of land were purchased to create a separation between the structure and the curtain wall. The
nave of the church was then constructed on a portion of the ancient wall erected by Peter I, which still exists today in the form of remnants visible on , situated along the western side of the current church. The successive extensions were such that they justified a new inauguration, conducted by Bishop
Pierre of Chaffault on 24 February 1478. Two notable features of the building were a 20-meter-high
stained glass window and an altar adorned with 26 statues.
17th and 18th centuries In the mid-17th century, the bell tower was in a state of disrepair and was at risk of collapsing. A fundraising campaign was initiated, which included the sale of valuable liturgical books. The restoration work commenced in 1766 and was concluded in 1772. However, the parish had a more ambitious vision, namely the complete reconstruction of the building. The initial plans were drafted as early as 1773, and the decision to proceed with the reconstruction was made in 1789. The renovation that spanned from 1766 to 1772 thus marked the final modification to the existing structure, which featured three naves separated by a substantial pillar. The
chevet was flat, with the
apse situated at the current , accessible from the south via
Place Félix-Fournier. The church was built with regional
granite, as well as hard stones and
tuffeau from
Touraine. The project was entrusted to
Jean-Baptiste-Antoine Lassus, a student of
Henri Labrouste and collaborator of
Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, who, along with , made it one of the very first
neo-Gothic projects in France. It was raised to the status of a
minor basilica on 26 October 1882, by Pope
Leo XIII. The tomb of Félix Fournier, who died in 1877, was installed in 1883. The neo-Gothic furniture was listed as a
historical monument on 20 November 1985, a year before the church itself was classified on 6 November 1986.
Damage and reconstruction The church sustained significant damage as a result of the
Allied bombing campaign on 16 September 1943. This had a considerable impact on the surrounding area, including parts of the
Place Royale and the , which runs along the northern side of the latter. Paul Caillaud, director of Nantes' passive defense, indicated that the church sustained significant damage along its ambulatory route on Rue Affre, close to the bell tower, which was fortunately spared. Two vault ribs were dislodged. It appears that an anti-aircraft shell or a small bomb fell perpendicularly or exploded on the ground. Subsequently, other bombs entered obliquely and caused the arches and enclosure walls to open, partially dislodged the organ's woodwork, and caused the floor to collapse. The tomb of Bishop Fournier, a substantial marble base, was damaged. Following the conclusion of hostilities, the reconstruction project commenced in 1953 and continued until 1974. The damaged organ, constructed in 1901, was dismantled but subsequently rebuilt in two phases: in 1963 and 1985. The exterior stone was significantly degraded by air pollution during the 20th century, necessitating a comprehensive restoration project initiated in 2004 under the direction of , . The project entailed the restoration of the tuffeau and granite, as well as the complete refurbishment of severely damaged exterior elements. == Bells ==