Eglise Saint-Etienne
ChurchHidden Treasure
Eglise Saint-Etienne, located in Rennes (Département 35), is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- Church
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- Rennes, Département 35, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.1129, -1.6864
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00090681
Formerly the chapel of the Augustins de Rennes, consecrated in 1700, Saint-Étienne church boasts a façade with two classical orders and a bell-cast domed tower of rare Baroque elegance.
History
In the heart of Rennes, the church of Saint-Étienne is one of those discreet buildings that encapsulate several centuries of Breton religious and architectural history. Built within the walls of an Augustinian convent, it was consecrated in 1700, on the threshold of the late Grand Siècle, at a time when the city was still trying to heal the wounds of the terrible fire of 1720. Its silhouette, marked by the rigorous superposition of the Doric and Ionic orders, bears witness to a classical mastery fully assimilated by the builders of Rennes. What sets Saint-Étienne apart from contemporary religious buildings is above all the coherence of its composition: an ordered, severe and balanced front facade, happily contradicted by the square side tower, topped by a dome on which rises a rounded campanile. This touch of Baroque fantasy in a classical setting gives the building a rare personality, halfway between French rigour and Italian lightness. The interior, rectangular in plan with a canted chevet, has a light and airy atmosphere. The clear geometry of the interior volumes, typical of conventual chapels from the early 18th century, invites you to wander around contemplatively. The careful proportions of the bays and the quality of the sculpted details on the pilasters are reminders of the care taken with this type of foundation by the religious orders that commissioned its construction. Listed as a Monument Historique in 1978, Saint-Étienne's church is protected to ensure the preservation of this precious part of Rennes' heritage. In an ever-changing city centre, it is an architectural island of memory, a link between the Brittany of the Ancien Régime and the modern metropolis.
Architecture
The church of Saint-Étienne has a sober rectangular plan, inherited from the tradition of convent chapels, finished with a canted chevet that breaks the monotony of the right apse while creating an elegant transition between the nave and the eastern liturgical space. This arrangement, common in French religious architecture in the early 18th century, gives the building a geometric clarity typical of the classical spirit. The main façade is the most spectacular feature of the building. It superimposes two distinct architectural registers: a Doric order on the ground floor, recognisable by its unadorned capitals and the sobriety of its entablature, and an Ionic order on the upper floor, characterised by its delicate volutes and more refined curves. This superimposition of orders, inherited directly from the Italian Renaissance and Vignole's treatises, was one of the most popular formulas in French classical architecture, signifying both power and elegance. The portals and bays are framed by finely worked pilasters, giving rhythm to the composition with an academic rigour. To the left of the façade stands a square tower, the second major architectural feature of the building. Crowned by a dome on pendentives, it is extended by a rounded campanile that adds a touch of lightness and Italianism to the whole. This dialogue between the classical straightness of the façade and the generous curve of the tower creates a subtle visual tension, representative of the taste in Rennes at the turn of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries for classicism tempered with Baroque inflections. The materials used - probably local granite for the walls and slate for the roofs, as was customary in Breton architecture of the period - firmly anchor the building in its region.
Related Figures
Les Ermites de Saint-Augustin de Rennes — ordre religieux fondateur, présents à Rennes depuis le XIVe siècle, commanditaires de la constructionJacques V Gabriel — architecte de la reconstruction de Rennes après l'incendie de 1720, dont le projet urbain environna et contextualisa l'égliseJean-Baptiste Colbert de Torcy — ministre sous Louis XIV, incarnant la politique d'embellissement des villes de province qui favorisa ce type de chantierLes Parlementaires rennais du début du XVIIIe siècle — mécènes indirects du renouveau architectural de la ville dont l'église Saint-Étienne est l'un des fruits
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Eglise Saint-Etienne located?
Eglise Saint-Etienne is located in Rennes, Département 35 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Eglise Saint-Etienne built?
Eglise Saint-Etienne dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Eglise Saint-Etienne open to visitors?
Eglise Saint-Etienne is currently closed to visitors.
