I bring you back to nice Rennes. The City is in Îlle et Vilaine dept 35, of my lovely Bretagne,and my belle France, I, once again, found me pictures in my cd rom vault that should be in my blog for you and me, Therefore, let me tell you about the Church Saint Germain of Rennes !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
The Church Saint-Germain bordered on its south side by Place Saint-Germain, was the parish church of wealthy merchants and later of members of parliament. The church is in the Flamboyant Gothic style. It preserves the oldest stained-glass window in Rennes, as well as a fine organ. The current church was constructed slowly, from 1470 to 1690. Begun in the Flamboyant Gothic style, it was completed in the Late Renaissance style.
The west facade features a vast Gothic bay window, The most spectacular part of the church’s exterior is the south porch, dating from the Late Renaissance (1606-1623). The north side, probably from the 14C, has four side chapels. The south side has five. The nave, quite high, is characteristic of Breton Flamboyant Gothic: slender pillars, large semicircular arches, and long tie beams at the base of the vault, adorned with monstrous or grotesque figures, as is often the case with Breton tie beams. The vault was originally intended to be formed of wooden ribs, but in the 17C, it was finally erected as a much higher continuous vault formed by a single broken barrel vault.
The high altar is surmounted by a baldachin formed of four white marble columns with gilded Corinthian capitals, dating from the Louis XVI period, which support a frieze of gilded scrolls and a double cornice. In 1811, these were surmounted by a gilded wooden baldachin depicting the cross of Christ, victorious over Death and dominating the Earth, represented by two enormous serpents. Finally, in 1855, under Napoleon III, a glory was added to the center, depicting the divine “Triangle” surrounded by cherubs. Behind the high altar, at the back of the apse, one can see a large painting by Eloi Firmin Féron, winner of the Prix de Rome in 1826, a painter favored by King Louis-Philippe, who commissioned him to work for the historical galleries of Versailles -see post). This painting depicts the Resurrection of Lazarus replaced a work on the same subject by the Antwerp painter Gaspard de Crayer in 2008, which the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rennes,(see post) owner of both paintings, acquired in 2008.
The chancel ends in a flat apse featuring a magnificent Gothic window, which now houses the curious stained-glass window. The wrought-iron and gilded railing of the baptistery chapel dates from the 18C, The pulpit, dating from 1805, is adorned with bas-reliefs depicting the Evangelists. An angel blowing a trumpet stands on the sounding board. The organ case is believed to have come from the Abbey of Notre-Dame de Prières, located in the village of Billiers (see post), in the diocese of Vannes. The installation, which took place after the French revolution, included a significant expansion through the addition of flat facades and turrets to accommodate an organ built between 1823 and 1826.
A bit of history I like tell us that a small, early church dated back to the 12C. It was surrounded by a cemetery in the 13C. Two pillars near the sacristy are its only remaining vestiges. The parish of Saint-Germain was part of the barony of Vitré, (see post) ,then of the viscounty of Rennes, which separated from it at the beginning of the 17C. In January 1789, the French revolution began in Rennes, a little ahead of schedule. The unrest spread throughout the city: the inhabitants defended Breton “liberties” against royal power. The parish of Saint-Germain was on the front line. In 1791, it was suppressed and merged with that of Saint-Melaine. The church was then closed and looted. In 1792, the church escaped destruction by becoming a forage store for the artillery. In 1805, the parishioners bought back their church from the army, but the parish’s territory had been greatly reduced. Services resumed in a church that had to be completely refurnished. The 19C provided for its needs thanks to numerous donations: high altar, baldachin, organ, pulpit, bells. Etc, In June 1940, and August 1944: the church suffered from the bombings of Rennes in WWII. All the 19C stained-glass windows were destroyed; from the 16C, was damaged. A major restoration began in 1948. And beautifully done indeed,
The parish of Saint Germain on the church : https://saint-germain-rennes.fr/
The Rennes tourist office on the Church Saint Germain : https://www.tourisme-rennes.com/sortir/eglise-saint-germain/
There you go folks ,another jewel in my nice Rennes. The walks are worth it with plenty of lovely areas, Again, hope you enjoy the post on the Church Saint Germain of Rennes !!! as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
