Moving right alone in my lovely Bretagne and visiting the neighboring departmet of Ille et Vilaine no 35 we come to the city of Fougéres! Again, found several pictures not yet in my blog ,and they should. Therefore, here is a bit more on the Church Saint Leonard ; hope you enjoy the post as I.
Walking around town we came upon this church that stands out and took a closer look, we were pleasantly surprise, another jewel in my belle France! As said, the walks are wonderful and get to know more up front and closeup ,here is no exception , The Church Saint Léonard is located in the upper town in the immediate vicinity of the city/town hall and the public garden. The impasse Saint-Léonard separates it from the seat of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Fougéres.
The Saint-Léonard Church was built in the 12C by the monks of Pontlevoy on the plateau which dominates the Château de Fougères (see post). It quickly became the parish of the bourg-neuf de Fougères to the detriment of the Saint Sulpice Church (see post). It was rebuilt from 1407 to 1636 in a flamboyant Gothic style. The Bell Tower, built in 1635, partly in stone and partly in framework, appears at the entrance to the main street of the city like a dominating giant, and is of the most beautiful effect. It is 41 meters high. There reigns at the top of the stone part, a beautiful gallery also in stone, and below, at the four angles, four engaged cannons rest on as many escutcheons with the arms of Fougères
Profaned during the French revolution,the Saint-Léonard Church was radically redesigned in the 19C by reversing the nave and installing the new neo-Gothic facade on the opposite side, this time facing the upper town. Inside, in one of the chapels, the oldest stained glass window in Brittany, representing the life of Saint Benedict. However, the bombardment of the city in 1944 (WWII) having blown away most of the old stained glass windows, these have been replaced by contemporary stained glass windows. The visitor should not leave Fougères without having admired the panorama offered by the bell tower of the church over the whole town and its magnificent view of the castle.Indeed awesome !
The Fougéres tourist office on the Church of Saint Leonard : https://www.destination-fougeres.bzh/site-culturel/eglise-saint-leonard/
The Ille et Vilaine dept 35 tourist office on the heritage of Fougéres: https://www.ille-et-vilaine-tourism.com/discover-ille-et-vilaine/the-loveliest-places/fougeres/
There you go folks ,another dandy monument, worth the detour, me think. Again ,found me some older pictures not in my blog ,and they should, Hope you enjoy this additional post on the Saint Léonard Church of Fougéres as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 
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