Paris1972-Versailles2003

And why not staying in beautiful Dinard in Ille et Vilaine dept 35 of my lovely Bretagne ! This is a town worth your time, plenty to see here as shown by my many posts on it in my blog. I like to update this nice older post on the Notre Dame Church of Dinard! Hope you enjoy it as I.

Moving right along showcasing the best and even the off the beaten path trails of my belle France I bring you back to my Bretagne! The region alone is a treasure chest of beauties to be seen and discovered by most visitors to my belle France. The town of Dinard, is fully loaded for things to see as in my previous posts. However, decided to tell you more about the Notre Dame Church.

We were sightseeing the city and as always did our usual walking around, walk long and my team was beginning to be tired, but I kept pushing as I have read about a Church in a section of the city along the big bay. We walked we arrived and were pleasantly surprise to what we saw. The Notre Dame Church is on a hill overlooking the wide boulevard des Maréchaux.

Of course, finding information on the Church is another matter, it is so off the beaten path and little information is published even in the city tourist office or city/town hall. From scratching from several religious sites I was able to find bits of information.  This is my translation of the city of Dinard writing on the Church of Notre Dame

“Poullain du Reposoir, the owner of the Belle Issue, the priory of the Trinitarians and numerous land in this area, graciously offered to the town a plot of 77 ares near the baie du Prieuré (bay of priory) for the construction of a new church, after the destruction caused by the storm of April 1853 on the church of Saint Enogat. This construction, far from unanimity of the population, was consecrated by a great Mass celebrated on January 10, 1858 which marked the transfer of the cult of Saint Enogat to Dinard. The building was built by architect Linley Lacroix. The interior fittings include a master altar ordered in 1866 to the sculptor Rennais Valentin. After the Second World War several reshuffles were planned: The sculptor Armel Barat designs a project of decorative frieze for the façade that remained in the project state (1949-1950). An arrow crowning the bell tower replaced the campanile and the stained glass windows of Max Ingrand replaced the 19C canopies.”

The construction of the Notre Dame Church dates from the middle of the 19C. It was done on a single plane of three naves. The Church has stained glass windows, some old paintings and statues.

The organ was built in 1986 in a style inspired by the French Baroque era. This organ replaces a previous instrument built in 1926 by the manufacture Convers-Cavaillon-Coll, inaugurated by Louis Viere. The current organ buffet is inspired by the St. Peter’s Cathedral, Geneva!

If you are like me curious about the sights and love to walk the beat then this one is worth the detour indeed. It is as said around a big boulevard opening to a nice bay pretty area and great for romantic pose as well! Hope you enjoy the off the beaten path offering of Dinard.

The city of Dinard on its religious heritage including the church: https://www.ville-dinard.fr/le-patrimoine-religieux/

The Dinard Emerald Coast tourist board on Dinard: https://www.dinardemeraudetourisme.com/?s=dinard

There you go folks ,another dandy in pretty Dinard, and worth the detour to the Notre Dame Church!! We love the visit and looking forward to be back when possible. Hope you enjoy the brief introduction to a nice monument of the city.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!

And now staying in dept 35 Ille et Vilaine of my lovely Bretagne and my belle France! We have come here and love it and came back for more. One of the monument to see in this wonderful city of Dinard is the Saint Enogat Church. Let me update this older post for you and me ,and hope you enjoy it as I.

So here I am back at you with another off the beaten path jewel of glorious Dinard.  As our insatiable thirst for the curiosities of our world and the richness of our belle France have taken us to many small villages and even famous ones as Dinard is, but rather to seek the humble and simple kept apart from the noises of visitors to show us the real city and its past.  I like to tell you about the Saint Enogat Church of Dinard, again not much written on it officially.

We like to arrive at a city by car and in Europe that is very doable and easy and for large families cheaper. Once settle in to our city, the real thrill begins with walks, yes inside a city in Europe the best is to walk. Not easy to tell my dear friends and family from America but walking a couple of km in a city is a piece of cake here and all do it, we love it!! There is so much to see, and reminds me of a fellow blogger jot down and marked it right away because with so much to see , easily forgets later.  But onwards with the find at fashionable Dinard!

In 1858, the capital of the old parish of Saint-Enogat was transferred from the village of this name to the town of Dinard. The Church that was Renaissance style Latin cross form, was demolished except the tower. In 1867, a new parish was created in Saint-Enogat and a new church was built between 1872 and 1874, reusing the tower of the steeple-porch dated 1761.

The organ built at the beginning of the 20C, by Charles Mutin, for an English family. It was transferred to the Church of St-Enogat around 1950, it is completely redesigned and modified in its composition in 1970.

And once again, need to translate from the city as not much info on these off the beaten path jewels!

“At the beginning of the 17C, the primitive Church was already located at the site of the present Church; in Renaissance style, it included a nave and three altars. Only the steeple-porch built in 1761 survives today. Indeed, a violent storm destroyed in April 1853 the roof and the nave of the Church. The inhabitants of the village began the reconstruction themselves before obtaining satisfaction when the Imperial decree of 19 June 1867 recognized their Church as a separate branch from that of Dinard founded in 1858. On 27 June, a episcopal ordinance created a new parish, including Saint-Enogat and various neighbouring villages. . The first stone of the new place of worship was laid on January 7, 1872. The construction of the Church was completed only in June 1874, the presbytery in 1877. On June 27, 1880, the parish, affirming its individuality, was consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The interior now retains pieces of liturgical furniture from the late 19C and 20C.”

The walk around the neighborhood is super, with beautiful Enogat beach, lovely grand, chic very classic as the city is known to be.

The city of Dinard on its religious heritage including the church: https://www.ville-dinard.fr/le-patrimoine-religieux/

The Dinard Emerald Coast tourist board on Dinard: https://www.dinardemeraudetourisme.com/explorer/9-paradis-demeraude/dinard-follement-balneaire/

Hope you enjoy these off the beaten path tours on popular places to visit in my lovely Bretagne. There is a whole world out there to be seen and yet, my long journey to see as much as possible of this most visited country which I proudly call mine! Dinard and the St Enogat Church are worth the detour.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!

And again updating my older posts in my blog I come to my lovely Bretagne. This time one of the nicest monument of Rennes in Ïlle et Vilaine dept 35, its St Peter’s Cathedral! or Cathédrale Saint Pierre! Let me tell you a bit more on it and hope you enjoy it as I. And thanks for reading me since 2010!!

Well of course Rennes has a Cathedral! I had written briefly on it in my previous blog posts but looking back definitively needs a post of its own. The Cathérale Saint Pierre de Rennes is worth a detour indeed.  The Cathédrale Saint-Pierre or St Peter’s Cathedral is located in the heart of the city of Rennes. It is the seat of the Archdiocese of Rennes, Dol and Saint-Malo. Classically styled, it is one of the nine historic Cathedrals of Brittany.

A bit of history I like

The current site of the Cathédrale St Pierre, has been used as the seat of a bishopric since the 6C. It is likely that it was built instead of an older sanctuary. The old Church was completely replaced by a Gothic Church in the 12C. It is within its walls that on December 25, 1483, Henri Tudor, future Henry VII of England, then in exile in Brittany promises to marry Elizabeth of York to join the army that remained loyal to the late Edward IV of England. This effective marriage in 1486 sealed the end of the war of the Roses and initiated the Tudor dynasty, which would give five sovereigns to England, including the first two reigning queens, successively Mary I of England and Elizabeth I of England.

In 1490, the tower and the western façade of the Gothic Church collapsed. A long-term reconstruction of the western massif, which lasted 163 years, culminated in the granite façade we know today, which is largely classical in style. It appeared then that to avoid a total collapse, it was necessary to rebuild the entire building, with the exception of the facade of recent and solid construction was approved by king Louis XV in Council meeting of 1762.  The demolition took place from 1756 to 1768. The reconstruction began in 1787, but the French Revolution stopped the work. These resumed in 1816. The now neoclassical Cathédrale St Pierre with classic façade was completed in 1845. During the works, from 1803 and 1844, the former abbey Church of Saint-Melaine (see other churches of Rennes post) was the pro-Cathedral of Rennes.

A bit more on the construction and architecture features I like

The facade and its two classical granite towers of 48 meters high were built in several stages throughout the 16C and 17C.  The towers have four levels. The first level was built from 1541 to 1543, the second as well as the third from 1640 to 1654 and the fourth and last from 1654 to 1678. Finally the coronation of the towers between 1679 and 1704, bearing them at their present height of 48 meters and added on the pediment to the top of the façade the motto of Louis XIV.

Besides the front, the façade has five coats of arms of tufa , showing from top to bottom, from right to left we have that of the Beaumanoir, that of Charles Albert of d’Ailly, 3rd Duke of Chaulnes, governor of Brittany, that of Jean-Baptiste de Beaumanoir de Lavardin, Bishop of Rennes from 1676 to 1711. that of Henri de La Mothe-Houdancourt, Bishop of Rennes from 1642 to 1662.  And that of Duke Charles de la Porte. To underline the strength and solidity of the new ensemble as opposed to the fragility of the previous construction, the architects have endowed the facade with 22 granite columns.  The pediment is to the arms of Louis XIV.

The nave has forty-four ionic columns. It was the most austere part of the Church. In order to alleviate this austerity, in the 19C, the columns and part of the walls (this is a mixture of marble dust, lime and chalk) were made into stucco, giving the building a greater brightness. The vault on the other hand is decorated with gold leaves. The vault contains crests to the arms of Brittany and the dioceses of the Archdiocese of Rennes.

The floor covering of the Choir is made up of austere slabs of granite. These offer a violent contrast to the high altar made with marbles offered by Pope Pius IX and from the Roman Forum (Rome). The cul-de-furnace of the apse is adorned with a painting depicting the giving by Christ of the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven to Saint Peter, made circa 1871 by the 19C painter Alphonse le Hénaff. The Choir is surrounded by an ambulatory whose walls are decorated with representations of the various Saints of Brittany grouped according to their diocese (Rennes, Dol-de-Bretagne, Saint-Malo, Saint-Brieuc, Tréguier, Saint-Pol-de-Leon, Quimper, Vannes). They are also due to Alphonse Le Hénaff.

The two crosses of the transept each have a sumptuous chapel adorned with remarkable frescoes. Those of the southern Chapel are consecrated to Sainte Anne, patron Saint of Brittany. There is also the painting of Saint Peter by the painter Henri-Joseph de Forestier given by king Charles X. The work dates from 1827 and represents Saint Peter delivered from his prison by an angel. The northern Chapel has a series of frescoes dedicated to Mary. They thus participate in the Marian cult widespread in Brittany.

Above the crossing of the transept, an artistic project for the development of the four pendants was chosen; consisting in the installation of four statues of three meters in height each, in the four pendants under the dome which will represent the symbolic tetramorphous of the four Evangelists, associated with scenes from the Gospels, such as the Man for Saint Matthew, the Lion for St. Mark, the Bull for St. Luke, and the Eagle for Saint John. The crypt entrance is under the heavy slab engraved with the names of the buried bishops, in the middle of the Cathedral’s central aisle. This crypt is only open during burials. You can go down only upon the burial of a bishop or archbishop.

The Cathédrale St Pierre, houses a great Flemish Altarpiece masterpiece from the 16C adorned with 80 characters, which was restored in 1984. In the Chapel dedicated to Saint Malo is the painting of Sainte Marguerite, dating from the 17C. This painting is a copy of that of Raphael who is currently in the Department of paintings of the Louvre museum. In the Saint-Michel Chapel, you can admire the statue of Sainte Anne, a copy of a 15C work.

The towers of the Cathédrale Saint Pierre house a ringing of five bells. The bourdon, named Godefroy, is housed in the North tower and weighs about 7 900 kg. Its beating of 240 kg was changed on December 12, 2011. The other four bells, located in the South Tower, bear the names of Mary, Pierre, Amand and Melaine. They weigh 3 950 kg, 1 467 kg, 1 155 kg and 475 kg. Pierre is the only preserved bell of 1843, which had three sound vases. The bourdon, named after the first Cardinal-Archbishop of Rennes, Mgr. Brossay-Saint-Marc, is the biggest hidden bell in Brittany. The names of its sisters evoke the holy patron of the cathedral, Peter, that of the Archdiocese of Rennes, Dol and Saint-Malo, Melaine, and his predecessor on the Episcopal throne, Amand.

The Grand organs of the Cathédrale St Pierre date from 1874 and is housed in a buffet, rebuilt in 1970 in a neo-classical style. A dorsal is then added, the pipes finding place in a buffet. Today, the main organs of the Cathedral constitute the most important instrument of the Department 35 of Ille-et-Vilaine.  The Choir organ, it is housed in a neo-classical oak buffet and occupies the central section of the ambulatory , at the bottom of the apse of the Cathedral. Carried by a high base, partially in corbelled, its piping is masked by false pipes in painted and gilded wood. Grouped by seven, in two platforms framed by pilasters summoned by Corinthian capitals for the lateral facades, these canons are numbered twenty-nine for the main façade, two plates-faces of seven false pipes framing a central section of fifteen. Dating back to 1867, the instrument will only be installed current 1869.

Some webpages to help you plan your trip here and it should be a must are:

The Rennes musique webpage on the organ of the Cathedral in French: https://rennesmusique.com/lieux-des-concerts/cathedrale-saint-pierre/

The parish of the St Peter’s Cathedral: https://cathedralerennescatholique.icodia.info/3patrimoine/saintpierre.html

The Rennes tourist office on the Cathedral: https://www.tourisme-rennes.com/en/organize-my-trip/what-to-do-in-rennes/la-cathedrale-saint-pierre-2/

The Upper Brittany dept 35 Ille et Vilaine on the Cathedral: https://www.bretagne35.com/offres/la-cathedrale-saint-pierre-rennes-fr-2725595/

There you go folks ,another jewel in my lovely Bretagne and wonderful capital city of Rennes. The St Peter’s Cathedral is worth the detour and lovely area for walks and sightseeing in the city too. Hope you have enjoy it as I.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!