The Church Saint Gildas of Auray ,part II !!!

Posted in Bretagne, France

Let me tell you about a beauty in my lovely Auray! in beautiful Morbihan breton of the gorgeous region of Bretagne!  Plenty written on Auray in my blog but as usual need to tell you in specifics about the main things to see and the Church Saint Gildas of Auray, part II !!!  is one of them. The town has a lot to offer on history and architecture that is worth a detour. Hope you enjoy the post as I.

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The Church St Gildas owes its name to a 12C priory which depends on the Benedictine abbey of the Rhuys Peninsula. It was conceived at the site of the old priory of which combines medieval and baroque styles. The work started in 1623 ,it bears the date of 1636 on the three gables and was consecrated in 1641 ,but is only completed in 1663. The steeple of the three-story square tower was however only completed in 1701, and rebuilt in 1832.

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The Church Saint Gildas nave consists of three aisles. The facade consists of a three-level steeple tower surmounted by an octagonal lantern. The other façade is remarkable for its Renaissance-style porch, with three levels with twin columns on the first two levels and a triangular pediment in which the saint’s niche is located. The nave has a level of large arcades resting on columns that rise up to the coffered vault whose double arches are resting on carved bases. The flat choir, vaulted also with caissons, is adorned with a large altarpiece. It dominates the whole city, and will serve as a model in the region.

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Inside you can admire a recently restored 16C Christ-recumbent. The imposing altarpiece of the high altar is in Levallois style and dates from 1657.   The vault is adorned with painted boxes and at the bottom, in the Tribune, the organ of Waltrin dates from 1761.   The whole dates from the 17C 18C, 19C and Baroque style .Located at Place Gabriel Deshayes in the upper town; it is the main church in Auray!

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The recumbent statue of Christ, originally installed in the Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre, adjoining the Chapel of the Holy Spirit, dates from the beginning of the 16C. Due to its age and polychromy, it is unique in Brittany. It was originally surrounded by human-sized characters. The whole thing certainly represented the descent from the Cross.

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The city of Auray on its heritage including the church: https://www.auray.fr/Ma-ville/Patrimoine/Les-monuments-historiques

The area Bay of Quiberon tourist office on Auray: https://www.baiedequiberon.co.uk/auray

The Bretagne region tourist board on Auray: https://www.brittanytourism.com/destinations/the-10-destinations/southern-brittany-morbihan-gulf/auray-port-of-saint-goustan/

There you go folks, another dandy place to enjoy architecture and history in my Morbihan. Auray is tops for a whole day or more; hope you enjoy the post on the Church Saint Gildas of Auray ,part II as I. And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!

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Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

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