This is a must each time and town and one of its must visit monuments, , The main church of Auray is a historical and architecturally stunning Church of Saint Gildas ! I was again by the upper town so new pictures and need to be in my blog, Therefore, hope you enjoy the post on the Church Saint Gildas of Auray, part IV !!! as I
As have several posts on it will concentrate on showing the new pictures and condence text hoping not to repeat, The magnificent Church of Saint Gildas, is worth the extra post as this is a wonderful smallish church really but beautifully maintained and very active in town. In the 12C, the Duchess of Brittany Constance donated to the abbey of Saint-Gildas-de-Rhuys (see post) land she owned in Auray. The monks set up a priory there, the chapel of which gradually became the parish church of the town. In a state of advanced dilapidation, the church was razed in 1620 to be replaced by the current church, completed in 1663.
The Church of Saint Gildas houses a Laval stone and marble altarpiece from 1664, a 19C organ and baptismal font with carved canopy. From the 18C, it retains woodwork in the side chapels, and an elegant organ case. In the 20C, more precisely in the 1930s, the large windows of the transepts received stained glass windows evoking the life of Saint Gildas. The 19C was a source of renewal for the church. The baptismal font, confessionals and side altars date from this period.
It also has a resurrection tomb of Christ that was completely renovated and shown proudly upon entering the church on the left aisle. It 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. The imposing altarpiece of the high altar is in Levallois style and dates from 1657. It has a set of nine windows on the life of Saint Gildas done from 1812 to 1874. The bell tower of the three-story square tower, however, was not completed until 1701. It dominates the whole town and will serve as a model for the region. Work on the bell tower of the Church of Saint-Gildas will begin in December 2023 for twelve months. The church will continue to be open.
From 1701 ,the Church of Saint Gildas owned a small organ of which no trace has been preserved. This instrument was dismantled in 1760 and transferred to a chapel which no longer exists. The new organ dates from 1761. In 1795, it would seem that the organ was damaged by prisoners locked up in the church… In 1833, lightning struck the church ,and damaged the organ. In 1860, the instrument was rebuilt in the German romantic style by organ builder Carl Ewald Julius Heyer (known as Jules Heyer). This postman, originally from the Breslau region in Poland, had come to Quimper since 1847 where he first worked for Cavaille-Coll, and then set up on his own. In 1946, the organ was restored in the Parisian workshops of the Pleyel/Cavaille-Coll house in a more neo-classical style. In 1979, the Beuchet/Debierre house in Nantes carried out a restoration, and the sideboard has regained its original color.
The city of Auray on its heritage: https://www.auray.fr/Ma-ville/Patrimoine/Les-monuments-historiques
The local Bay of Quiberon tourist office on Auray: https://www.baiedequiberon.co.uk/auray
There you go folks ,like I said a smallish church, but very nicely maintained, said beautiful. A must to visit while in the area and worth the detour. Again, hope you have enjoy my new post on the Church of Saint Gildas of Auray , part IV as I
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 