In September 2023, Arthur and Rémi Courtois d’Auzac launched Saint-Courzac, a small business creating artisanal religious objects. Inseparable, these two twin brothers combine a passion for manual work and strong faith.
It is rare not to find in the prayer corners of young and old the pure and familiar face of a Holy Virgin. Carrying the Child Jesus against her breast , or standing in prayer, she watches over those who entrust their joys and sorrows to her in the morning when they wake up, or in the evening before sleeping. Arthur and Rémi Courtois d’Auzac shape this face with their hands. The two brothers created Saint-Courzac in September 2023 , an artisanal company producing icons and religious statues. It is in Brittany, in the Armorican countryside where the family home is nestled, that the adventure of these two twins begins. “We have always been very handy, we spent all our holidays in Brittany and we were looking to give ourselves a gift with Rémi,” says Arthur. A gift that is a little out of the ordinary, handmade. » “We wanted something personalized and meaningful,” adds Rémi. We first started with a classic model, an icon of the Virgin Mary . »
Satisfied with the result, they cast other icons and statues with a mixture of plaster and concrete, which they offered on the occasion of the birthdays, baptisms and communions of their loved ones. Then comes the idea of setting up a project: creating the Saint-Courzac brand. “Everyone quickly appreciated what we were doing, so we said to ourselves: ‘why not launch this on a slightly larger scale’,” explains Arthur. Four years after their first attempt, the two thirty-somethings launched the first orders. “It took us a while to find the right format and the right mix. »
Marta de Benito
Each icon, entirely handmade, requires between one and two weeks to manufacture. “A creation is made from a mixture of plaster for finesse and concrete for strength,” explains Arthur. It is passed into a mold, some are then dipped in a bath of linseed oil, then left to dry. » Perfectionists, the two brothers are attached to the smallest detail, and their creations are only made on demand. For each order, the item is delivered with careful packaging, delicately slipped into a bag marked with the recipient’s name. “We really wanted to do something personalized,” Arthur explains.
Personalized gifts
Success is there. To the point that the two brothers were forced to refuse certain orders. “It’s not our main activity, we manage Saint-Courzac in the evening when we get home from work,” assures Rémi, who works during the day in start-up development. Since the launch, we must have placed around 120 orders, and that suits us very well.” “It was a bet and it’s our passion,” continues Arthur. We do this in our free time and we want it to remain a pleasure. The objective is to offer pleasure to those around us, we do not want to be the Amazon of religious creations. »
Although they live 700 km from each other, the two brothers get along perfectly when it comes to carrying out tasks. “It’s super nice to work together, we don’t need to talk, we know exactly what we have to do, and the distribution of tasks happened very naturally. » Based in Angers, Rémi takes care of social networks and customer relations. Manufacturing the creations and sending the packages falls to Arthur, who lives in Geneva where he works in luxury perfumery. But the distance does not disturb the harmony of the duo. “We have exactly the same tastes,” explains Arthur. We are the same when it comes to passions and desires. Rémi, I can know what he will think, say or imagine.”
“Everything is family in Saint-Courzac”
The raison d’être of Saint-Courzac is first of all this close bond which unites the two brothers, and the love of a family. “I like to tell my friends that I combine two passions in this activity: tinkering, making people happy, and also working with my twin brother,” assures Rémi. “What’s nice is to finally launch a real project with him, but also with my family. My wife gives me ideas, our brother and our two sisters advise us. For example, they participated in the creation of the site. There’s a lot of momentum behind it, it’s great! » “Everything is family in Saint-Courzac, whose name comes from our surname, and from the place where we have our family home in Brittany,” explains Arthur. “Some will like to go to Morocco or Corsica. Our pleasure is to all meet here for the holidays.” It was in this house that the two brothers learned, together, to tinker and shape all kinds of objects with their hands. “Our parents very quickly left us with a hammer and a screwdriver to wander around the garden. Today, we have created a play area for the children and built a cabin at the bottom of the garden. » Unsurprisingly, Saint-Courzac’s first fans were found in the family circle. There are our icons everywhere among our brothers and sisters! », smiles Rémi.
Marta de Benito
This roots shines through in their creations, with numerous representations of the Holy Family. “Family is essential for us, we are lucky to all get along very well. I think it’s something that can speak to many,” assures Rémi. The Christian faith, which they also received from their parents, is another driving force behind their crafts. Very invested in their respective parishes, Rémi and Arthur assure that the choice to manufacture religious objects was obvious. “I have the impression of developing my faith with Saint-Courzac,” emphasizes Rémi. It’s sort of taking an act of faith by creating things that lead to prayer. » “Sharing this story and allowing, through our creations, to help prayer around us, that makes a lot of sense,” concludes Arthur.
