I am on my road warrior mode again, going to see my Bretagne old and new. This time went over into the old Brittany of the Loire Atlantique dept 44 in the new region of Pays de la Loire. I heard about this town and passed by it, never in, until now. Always amazing finds in my belle France. The town is 64 km from Nantes, 70 km from Rennes, and 114 km from my house ,Let me tell you a bit about the Church Saint-Pierre et Saint-Paul of Guémené-Penfao !!
This is again one of those towns we have passed by and never stop until today, The town of Guémené-Penfao is on the northern edge of the Gâvre forest. The Pays de Guémené-Penfao was for a long time an area of Breton influence ,There have been relatively many notable historical events in the area over the centuries. For example in 1570, the rue de Châteaubriant could have been called the royal road, because it saw King Charles IX passed, accompanied by a brilliant procession including in particular the queen mother Catherine de Médicis, Marguerite de Valois (future wife of Henri IV), the Duke of Anjou (later Henry III), and the Duke of Guise.
One nice monument here is the Church of Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul , 19C. It is influenced by the Sainte Chapelle of Paris, by the Gothic and the Romanesque styles: The first stone was laid on September 21, 1884, and on Sunday 4 July 1886, the first Mass took place in this « little cathedral in the north ».
The history of the current church of Guémené begins indirectly at the end of the 18C, precisely at the time of the French revolution. Understanding that they would not be able to defeat their enemies with their weapons alone, the royalists decided to set fire to the old church in order to force the Blues(revolutionaries republicans) out of it. It was a victory, but it left the old church damaged: the steeple had burned down and threatened to collapse, the interior and the roof had suffered terribly too. In the end, peace returned at the very beginning of the 19C when Napoleon, having seized power in France, decided to impose a reconciliation between the two parties or the Concordat.
it was not until 1841, nearly half a century after the fire, that the old church was apparently able to accommodate churchgoers with a bit of roof, a straight steeple, a few pews and more or less walls strong enough to guarantee the safety of believers . And after several years of discussions between the religious authorities (more of an old-style royalist ) and the municipal authorities (moderate bourgeois and anything but supporters of the old regime), the two factions agreed, at the beginning of 1879, to be members of a commission dedicated to the construction of the new church. It was influenced by the Sainte Chapelle, by the Gothic style and the Romanesque style: The first stone was laid on September 21, 1884. Finally, on Sunday July 4, 1886 the first mass took place in this “small cathedral in the north . It is dedicated to Saint Peter: this is the reason why there is a statue of this saint in the gallery above the narthex ,behind the porch, after the entrance.
The facade of the building was made in the 70s of the last century .The pulpit probably dates from the end of the 19C. As we can see, the pulpit is decorated with many sculptures and statues, and displays many Latin inscriptions in golden letters. Two staircases lead to the upper part of the pulpit where the preacher delivered his weekly sermons. Two sculpted busts open the staircases.
The Saint Pierre et Saint Paul Church has many stained glass windows which fill the arched bays and the rose windows all around the nave, the transept or the chapels. They were made just after the inauguration of the church for the most part. The organ in the church bears the signature of one of the most famous , if not the most famous – French organ builders of the 19C, this was Cavaille-Coll, the organ builder, whose workshop was in Paris. On May 6, 1856 the organ was supplied and installed in the church; it is one of the smallest he ever built.
The Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul de Beslé Church has many stained glass windows which fill the arched bays and the rose windows all around the nave, the transept or the chapels.
The town of Guémené-Penfao on its heritage: http://www.mairie-guemene-penfao.fr/patrimoine/
There you go folks, a dandy of a town, this one is to be back eventually worth it. We were on our road warrior mode so just saw couple monuments and went on to other towns, see posts. Hope you enjoy this post on the Saint Pierre et Saint Paul Church of Guémené-Penfao as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 