As an introduction to the spectacular history of the Calvary of Pont-Château, let us relate an oral tradition transmitted through the generations.

One day, the 31st of January 1673, something happened in this place. Some bright crosses surrounded by banners appeared in the Heavens and a terrible noise was heard. The herds which were grazing on the moor, were terrified and ran away. During one hour, heavenly songs produced surprise and mystery in the neighbouring farms... On this day, was born in Monfort-la-Cane, today known as Monfort-sur-Meu, the man who was called by the Church by the beautiful name of Herald of the Cross, Louis Marie Grignon de Montfort, whom people were pleased to call "the Good Father of Montfort".

Everything began on 1st May 1709 under the reign of Louis 14th.

At the end of the mission which he had just conducted in Pont-Château, Father of Montfort, who was 36 years old, proposed a contract of Alliance to the happy parishionners and the establishment of a monumental calvary. For a long time, Montfort had been thinking of this idea of building an enormous calvary. In fact, a wonderful-2 meter high Christ was stowed away in his missionary "luggage".

The place which was finally chosen was situated on the moor of Magdalena, the old location of the leper hospital of Pont (the name of the town of Pont-Château before the French Revolution).

In some writings, it is noted that Montfort had thought to build his calvary in Sainte-Reine-de-Bretagne. We can imagine that the first pick-axes were swung in what was only a small village at the time. A beautiful legend should be releated here: it is said that as the mound of earth began to grow, volunteers used to see two small doves which would regulerly come to take some earth in their beaks. Surprised by the coming and going of the birds, they followed them and saw with astonishment that they would carefully place their preciuous beakfuls on the moor of Magdalena. Montfort saw that as a sign of Providence and decided that his project would be realised in this place: "Let us build a calvary here, let us build a calvary!"

Whatever the case may be, from October 1709 until September 1710, thousands of volunteer workers from the surrounding area and even from Spain and Flanders (probably pilgrims on their way to some well known sanctuary) raised a seemingly perennial monument to the glory of Christ's Cross.

As one of Fathers Montfort's assistants, Father Olivier, testified: "I would usually see 400 to 500 people working together. Some would be digging earth, others would be loading it, and still others would be carrying it off in their baskets. I have counted up to 100 pairs of bullocks pulling the carts. I have seen people pulling out stones which must have weighed up to 800 kilos from the moats. I have seen all kinds of people working in these excavations. There were gentlemen, ladies of high standing, and even some priests who carried the earth with devotion. I have seen people arrive from every direction. Some of them even came from Spain and Flanders...". These "new Crusaders" worked to rythm of hymns and "Ave Maria" ! Montfort himself continued to preach missions in the surrounding area. Each week, he would go to visit the site and to encourage his workers.

Montfort wanted to represent with some figures, even with some Bibilical figures, the Garden of Eden and the Garden of Agony... but the essential aim of the message is deeper.

a) Mary's great Apostle could not forget his favorite devotion, that of the Rosary. From the pillars which were built above the wall of the platform, an enormous rosary with beads as big as medium-sized cannonballs hung down in the form of garland from one pillar to another one, surroundingd the summit of the Calvary.

b) In the roundway, at the foot of the mountain, he again depicted the Rosary Mysteries. He planted 150 firs at an equal distance from one another which symbolized the "Ave Maria". After every ten firs, a cypress was planted which represented the "Pater", in such a way that pilgrims could recite the complete Rosary while walking around and using the trees which had been planted there to do their counting.

c) The "Good Father of Montfort", as the volunteers affectionately called him, also wanted to build 15 chapels wich would house life-size representations of the Mysteries of the Rosary.

The solemn blessing of the calvary was planned by the missionaries on 14th September, the day celebrating the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, commonly called the celebration of the glorious Cross.

"The neighbouring villages of Pont-Château were overflowing with pilgrims. Nothing was left to chance. Four well-known preachers were chosen "to preach to the four directions"; the route of the procession was meticulously drawn up, the time of the ceremonies set, and the whole daily program precisely organized. For the event, the Poet Apostle had composed one of his beautiful hymns:

"Dear friends, let us leap with joy,
We have the Calvary at home,
Do run to It, charity presses us on
to go see Jesus Christ who died for us."

On the evening of the 13th, 20 000 pilgrims flocked from everywhere - the regions of Nantes, of Brittany, of Angers and of Poitou. Mr Grignion's family, under the diredtion of their old father, had come directly from the region of Rennes.

At about 4 pm, a priest from the neighbourhood arrived. He carried with him a letter from the bishop Gilles de Bauveau, Bishop of Nantes, making it known to Father of Montfort, that a ban from Versailles ordered that all that had been built be destroyed.

"His Majesty - Louis 14th - knowing that this calvary would serve as refuge to some bad people rather than uphold people's devotion, ordered me (the bishop) to write to you that all that has been built must be destroyed, the trenches filled, the crosses and other figures taken down."

The reason for the ban was in fact completely different: it was the revenge of a certain senechal of La Chauvelière, a representative of the Duke of Coislin, shocked at seeing what had recently happened in the church of Campbon, where the tombs of the nobility had been stripped of their privileges on Montfort's order.

Father Montfort immediately set off for Nantes, hoping to talk directly to the bishop and that permission would be granted. He arrived in Nantes around 6 o'clock in the morning, and went directly to meet the bishop. Unfortunately, nothing was to be obtained: bishop Beauveau's decision was irrevocable. On September 14th, as Louis Marie, in dejected spirits and a resigned state of mind, was regaining some strength before setting off again, his program of celebrations was taking place on the Magdalena moor: masses, hymns, processions, different ceremonies glorifying the Saviour's Cross. tThe hero of the celebrations was missing. He only arrived on September 15th, a little before midday. A greater part of the crowd was still there. He could only confirm teh terrible news.

Montfort thought only to pursue the work of the missions. The following Sunday, he had already opened a mission in Saint-Molf in the peninsula of Guérande. However, the first week, Mr Olivier arrived in Saint-Molf, carrying another letter addressed to Montfort. In a few words, the bishop of Nantes forbade Montfort to ensure the ministry of preaching and of confessing throughout his entire diocese . Montfort wept upon reading the letter. it was one the most bitter disappointments in his life.

The mission of demolishing the Calvary was entrusted to Mr de l'Espinass, commander of a company of soldiers, sent to Pont-Château in order to execute the royal order of demolition.

Mr de l'Espinasse reqisitioned about 500 local farmers who refused to do this duty during two days. They only took the Christ down when they saw the militia leader take a saw to cut down the Cross with the risk of breaking Father Montfort's beautiful Christ. They placed the statues in safety in Pont-Château. The demolition took a very long time.

Within 3 months, the mountain was only half razed to the ground; it remained in that state...

In 1747, Father Montfort's successors, led by Father Audubon and with the help of Louis Bourbon, duke of Penthièvre, decided to restore the Calvary. They were confronted with the same difficulties as Montfort 37 years earlier. A chapel was however built at the foot of the Calvary.

1783. A new mission was preached by Montfort's disciples in Pont-Château. Some work was done and 3 crosses were raised.

10 years later, one night in 1793, after the battle of Savenay, the Calvary was laid to waste, the chapel of Magdalena was burnt down, the crosses and the statues were also burnt. Fortunately, Father Montfort's Christ had been palced in safety in St Laurent-sur-Sèvre since 1748, so, once again, it escaped destruction.

The first restoration of the Calvary dates from 1821. At that time, the priest of Pont-Château was Abbot Gouray, a child of Sainte-Reine-de-Bretagne. Loyal to the memory and the conception of Father Montfort, he organized great works to rebuild the Calvary and the small chapel, burnt down in 1793. On this occasion, 17,035  work days were put in by volunteers. On 23rd November 1821, Father d'Andigné, bishop of Nantes, accompanied by 10,000 pilgrims and the National Guard, came of the solemn blessing pf those monuments of popular piety.

However, the Calvary as we can see it today, was far from bieng completed. 70 years after Mr Gouray's remarkable effort, a new great levy of workers was raised in the country of Nantes, between the Loire and the Vilaine and beyond. Following Father Montfort's idea, one of his spiritual sons, Father Jacques Barré, projected to transport to France a kind of "Holy Land", evoking the Mysteries of Christ's life in a park of 14 hectares. He was lucky to meet a traveller back from the Holy Land, Mr Gerbaud, a former officer of the papal Zouaves, who became the experienced advisor and architect he needed. During 25 years, but especially from 10th December 1891 to 24 June 1899, under the spur of Father Barré, an extraordinary man, teams of volunteers worked continuously on the huge worksite. One day in 1897, there were as many as 1,200 volunteers, divided into 5 teams on the site. This was known as the day of The Thousand.

One hundred and fifty parished volunteered more than 120,000 work days. This is the religious Epic of a peaceful army whose weapons were pickaxes, shovels, baskets or more rarely, the machine of the worksite, the powerful pulley for moving the statues of the crosses.

Let us remember an important day: 24th June 1899. THis was the solemn inauguration of the Way of the Cross by cardinal Richard, archbishop of Paris. More than 50,000 pilgrims gathered there, and unfurled banners in front of the Scala Santa.

The apotheosis of 24th June 1948 was even more magnificent. The papal Nuncio, His Eminence Monseigneur Roncalli, future Pope John 23rd, had accepted to preside over the celebration of the canonisation of Saint Louis-Marie Grignion of Montfort at the Clavary. A great crowd of 100,000 to 200,000 people spread out between the Santa Scala and the Calvary.

Another disciple of St Louis-Marie of Montfort, Father Daniel, raised other monuments among which the "Temple of Jerusalem" with its murals evoking various scenes from the Gospels.

The Calvary of Pont-Château is the creation of a whole Christian People, arising from the meditation and the will of "a home-grown saint" (St Louis-Marie of Montfort), and in this capacity, it belongs to them as their heritage and the symbol of their honour.