And here I am back in my beautiful inland Morbihan road warrior trips and more beauties of course! I had briefly written on this wonderful town of Malestroit, but will update on the Church Saint Gilles and then more. Hope you enjoy it as I.
The Church of Saint Gilles, very nice in a pedestrian section by the pl du Bouffray, really nice,the most impressive is the meridional façade shown very high on the front. On each side of the south portal you have two doors sculpture from the 17C, you can see encrusted on the wall the sculptues that comes from the church of the 11C, great reliefs rounded, chapters and corbets, all representing a melee of attributes of the evangelists ,the lion of Saint-Marc landed by Samson that symbolises maybe the man of Saint-Mathieu,the deer of Saint-Luc resting on a socket decorated with the eagle of Saint-Jeanand.
The Saint Gilles Church was built in the 12C, then partly rebuilt in the 16C and 18C. Its 12C south transept, its double nave, its particular statue bases, its stained glass windows, as well as its exceptional 13C paintings. The first builders first built a chapel there, before building a church there. Romanesque in the 12C. Following a fire, it was partly rebuilt in the 16C. Its 12C southern brace, its double nave, its particular statue bases, its stained glass windows, make it an atypical church. At the end of 2011, during a restoration, exceptional paintings were also discovered on the vault: probably dating from the 13C, these paintings represent a unicorn feline, a fighting elephant and a centaur. The research around his paintings is not over, they have not yet revealed all their secrets! An ox with large horns, like those in Tuscany, guards the south facade of the church. This animal, carved in half-life size, is the symbol of Saint Luke.
Inside the Church of St Gilles , you have the stained glass of the tree of Jesse 15C, the large stained glass window, to the left of the high altar of 1900, which represents the life of Saint-Gilles , the Chair aux Sirens 17C and the reliquary hand of Saint-Gilles, 15C in silver bronze. On both sides of the south gate, consisting of two doors carved from the 17C, one can see, embedded in the wall, sculptures that come from the Church of the 11-12C. You discover a nave approached by an aisle to the north; large semi-broken arcades with octagonal columns separate the two spaces. A wooden barrel vault spans the nave and aisle, a set built in the 15C and early 16C.
The city of Malestroit on its heritage: https://www.villedemalestroit.bzh/index.php/tourisme-et-patrimoine/presentation-et-actualite
The local Broceliande Vacances tourist board on Malestroit and its heritage: https://www.broceliande-vacances.com/decouvrir/incontournables/canal-nantes-brest/petites-cites-caractere-canal/malestroit/
The Catholic Parish of Malestroit Sérent on a nice video of Saint Gilles Church :https://www.malestroit-serent-catholique.fr/
There you go folks,another nice spot in my off the beaten path road warrior ways. This is a must for the nature lover, and those walkers, cyclists will enjoy it much. We have done some walks along the canal and its wonderful, worth the detour to the pearl of the Oust , and to see the Saint Gilles Church of Malestroit.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 
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