Again, this is one of my favorite City in all of Bretagne ! This is a new visit with new text and pictures of the wonderful Church of St Mathieu in beautiful Quimper! Let me tell you again a bit more about the Church Saint Mathieu of Quimper !!! Hope you enjoy it as I.
Here we are in beautiful Quimper to show another nice church in a very nice quant neighborhood of Saint Mathieu. We always park nearby and walk into the city center from here. I have written briefly before, but feel deserve a post of its own, worth the detour to see the Church of Saint Mathieu in Quimper, dept 29 of Finistére in my lovely region of Bretagne. I would tell you about the church, right in the quartier or neighborhood of same name. It is a historical church as was the center of opposition by the Priests/Bishops to the French revolution idea of swearing the Constitution when they were only to swear to God. The differences for most of them were settle in the Concordat of April 8, 1802 in France ,and this Concordat in turn was updated by the Law of Separation of State and Church of 1905 except the departments of the East of France that were part of Germany at the time.(a bit of history of France thrown in here for you)
The current bell tower is 52 meters above the pavement of the street: it is 10 meters longer than the old one; and the total length of the church, outside, is 54 meters, 47 ,50 meters inside. Its interior width is 20 meters, and its height, under the keystone, about 15 meters. The arms of the transept are each only 2 meters deep. The church, well filled, can contain 1,500 people seated. The new Church, was saved the portal and the steeple of 1844. The current steeple is 52 meters above the pavement of the street: it is 10 meters more than the old; And the total length of the church, outside, is 54 meters, 47,5 meters inside. Its interior width is 20 meters, and its height, under the ceilings is about 15 meters. The arms of the transept have, each, only 2 meters deep.
The new Church of Saint Mathieu replaces a 15-16C church. The tower and spire was built in 1845 , and the nave, transept and chancel built between 1895 and 1897, It was finally completed for service on December 13 ,1896. The Church of Saint Mathieu
has a Latin cross plan with five naves. Semi-outdoor bell tower with bell chamber cushioned by an openwork octagonal spire decorated with hooks and framed at its base by four lanterns and four openwork pediments. Deep two-bay choir flanked by two side chapels opening onto the transept. Western massif carrying tribune and organ. The Saint-Mathieu Church replaces a 15C church whose foundations seem to have been preserved and which had itself replaced a 12C Romanesque church. It is in the form of a Latin cross with 5 nerfs, the choir has two side chapels opening onto the transept. From the old church we still can see the old furniture, such as the stained glass window of the Passion, at the back of the apse, the choir stalls, the paintings of the Stations of the Cross, the organ, and, at the bottom of the church, the altar of the Saint-Antoine de Padoue chapel, which is the old altar of the Sacred Heart, minus its baldachin and its statues. Everything else has been acquired since construction. There are three windows forming a triptych in which the whole life of Our Lord is summarized: the window on the left represents scenes from the life of Our Lord before his Passion, that in the middle, the Passion, and that on the right, scenes of his life after his resurrection, You see the wonderful stained glass windows of Saint-Charles, Saint-Elisabeth, Saint-Georges, and Saint-Martin.
The interior of the Saint Mathieu Church houses a 17C master window from the previous church, a pulpit from 1897, a marble high altar with the statues of Sainte-Anne, Sainte-Marguerite, Saint-Joseph, Saint-Mathieu , St. Francis de Sales and St. Vincent de Paul. The two new canopies of the apse and the old restored. The canopy of the left represents scenes of the life of our Lord before his passion, that of the middle, the passion, and that of the right, scenes of his life after his resurrection, together with the stained glass of Saint-Charles, stained glass of Sainte-Elisabeth , stained glass of Saint-Georges, stained glass of Saint Martin.
In its stained glass windows you can see represented the Passion in ten scenes: Agony in the garden, Kiss of Judas, Appearance before Caiaphas, Flagellation, Crowning with thorns, Condemnation by Pilate, Carrying of the cross, Crucifixion, Entombment, Resurrection, all arranged in a large window. with five subdivisions, of which the Crucifixion alone occupies three over two-thirds of the height. A canopy decorated in Renaissance style dominates each scene. The Agony and the Kiss of Judas are modern The central panel of the Crucifixion has also been completely redone, in imitation of that of Tourc’h, which is identical in the other parts to that of Saint-Mathieu, which authorizes to consider the latter as currently conforming to its primitive state. In the upper bellows of the tympanum, the Eternal Father, in tiara and cope, blesses with his right hand and, with his left hand, supports the globe of the world. Below, the other bellows show instruments of the Passion and coats of arms.
For the general ordinance, the stained glass window of Saint-Mathieu dated 1539, and which recounts the whole life of the Savior since the entry into Jerusalem. Soldiers, at the foot of the cross, are arguing; knife in hand, and tear to shreds the garments of the Crucified. In Saint-Mathieu, the presence of canopies also gives more harmony and regularity to the composition. The Savior attracts more attention; he really comes across as the essential character. All in all, and despite the too many damages it has undergone, the stained glass window of Saint-Mathieu retains all its value.
It is reason to believe that the first church erected in Quimper, under the word of Saint-Mathieu (apostle of Ethiopia martyred there and his body is now at the Church of Salerno, Italy), was at the time when, following a respectable tradition the new Churches were named after Saints. The first mention that we have of it was found in cartulary 56 of Saint-Corentin which tell us that in 1209 the Archbishop of Tours confirmed the cession that the Count of Brittany had made to the Bishop of Quimper, of the right of patronage that he had in the Church of Saint-Mathieu. The parish of Saint-Mathieu, seems to have been formed at the end of the 12C, by the dukes of Brittany, to serve the agglomeration on the district of Terre-au-duc formed to the west of the walled city of Quimper . The church was donated in 1209 to the Bishop of Quimper by Guy de Thouars, Duke of Brittany. In 1220, Renaud, elected bishop of Cornouaille, donated to the chapter, the Church of Saint-Mathieu ; a canon held it until the French revolution. Afterward, the church was used in 1803 as a fodder store and stable. The parish of Saint-Mathieu was abolished by the new French revolution Constitution, which brought together all the parishes of the Episcopal city under the Government of the bishop, administering with the help of Episcopal Vicars. The old bishop before the French revolution fought hard to keep it without constitutional constraints and wrote many articles again the revolution. Eventually most of them fleed to England until 1796. Afterward, Msgr François-Guillaume Coroller returned to Quimper, and died rector of Saint-Mathieu in 1807.
The city of Quimper tourist office on its heritage, see the “fiche inventaire de l’église Saint Mathieu” for more info in French on the church: https://www.quimper-tourisme.bzh/quimper-ville-dart-et -dhistory/
The city of Quimper on its heritage, other : https://www.quimper.bzh/604-lieux-remarquables-a-visiter.htm
The Bretagne region tourist office on Quimper:
https://www.brittanytourism.com/destinations/the-10-destinations/quimper-cornouaille/quimper/
There you go folks another nice monument right at the beginning of a very old quant neighborhood of Saint Mathieu that takes you walking all the way to the Cathedral Saint Corentin. The area is full of nice shops and restaurants good for a detour as well. Again, hope you enjoy the Church Saint Mathieu of Quimper !!! as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 