Eglise Saint-Germain
ChurchHidden Treasure
Eglise Saint-Germain, 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
- 48.1111, -1.6767
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00090682
A jewel of Rennes' flamboyant Gothic style, Saint-Germain's vertiginously slender pillars and panelled vaults span more than a century of building faith. A masterpiece of light and stonework.
History
In the heart of Rennes, Saint-Germain church stands out as one of the most refined expressions of the Flamboyant Gothic style in Brittany. Built over a period of more than a century from the 1450s onwards, it bears witness to the commercial prosperity of a booming town and the artistic ambitions of a community intent on competing with the great cathedrals of the kingdom of France. The almost unreal lightness of its interior is in itself a rare architectural experience. What sets Saint-Germain apart from so many other Gothic buildings is the skilfully orchestrated tension between fullness and emptiness. The extremely slender pillars, which defy static intuition, rise towards a broken cradle with panelling that unifies the interior space in a single continuous breath. There is no break, no hiatus: the eye glides naturally from the nave to the choir, carried by a remarkably coherent architectural rhythm. The play of light, filtered through the glass roofs, brings the stone to life, changing according to the time of day and the season. Visiting Saint-Germain means immersing yourself in several layers of Rennes' past. The reconstruction of the southern transept, around 1610, marked a transition between late Gothic and early Baroque styles, as can be seen in the decorations and the overall volume of the building. These additions bear witness to a living church, continually adapting to the needs and tastes of its faithful. The building fits into the historic urban fabric of Rennes with a discretion that reinforces its precious character: you sometimes have to look up at the right moment to catch the façade, the elaborate porch or the slender buttresses that punctuate the exterior silhouette. Architecture buffs will appreciate the stylistic coherence of the whole, while the ordinary visitor will simply be struck by the luminous beauty of the interior. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1914, Saint-Germain is one of the few flamboyant Gothic churches to have been so well preserved in the region.
Architecture
Saint-Germain church is a flamboyant Gothic building of remarkable stylistic coherence, whose main originality lies in the design of the interior space. The hall-like or pseudo-hall plan creates a striking spatial unity thanks to a panelled barrel vault that runs from the façade to the chancel without any visual interruption. This technical choice, rare in its success, gives the interior a fluidity and spaciousness that are unusual for a building of this scale. The structurally audacious slender pillars seem to hang between the floor and the vault, allowing light to circulate freely and allowing the eye to lose itself in perspective. The exterior features the formal characteristics of the Breton flamboyant Gothic style: slender buttresses, elaborate pinnacles, large bay windows with stone grids cut into flames and bellows. The west facade and portals are adorned with extremely fine sculpted decorations, combining stylised plant motifs and sacred figures in a decorative profusion typical of the late 15th century. The materials used, mainly Breton granite and tufa for the more delicate sculpted elements, give the building the solid grey hue so characteristic of Breton architecture. The southern transept, rebuilt around 1610, is subtly distinguished from the rest of the building by a slightly more classicist treatment of its elevations, a sign of the shift towards the architectural sensibilities of the 17th century. Inside, the stained glass windows form a remarkable ensemble, some dating back to the 16th century, featuring hagiographic cycles and biblical scenes in a warm palette of colours. The liturgical furnishings, the result of several centuries of accumulation, provide an invaluable insight into the piety of Rennes.
Related Figures
Anne de Bretagne — duchesse de Bretagne puis reine de France, contemporaine des grandes phases de construction de l'église, symbole du mécénat religieux breton de la fin du XVe siècleJean IV de Bretagne — duc de Bretagne sous le règne duquel les premières grandes reconstructions gothiques flamboyantes de la ville furent engagéesPierre de Rohan — maréchal et grand seigneur breton du XVe siècle, dont la famille figura parmi les bienfaiteurs des édifices religieux rennaisLes maîtres maçons anonymes — artisans bretons du XVe-XVIe siècle auteurs de la conception structurelle audacieuse de la nef à piliers élancésLes fabriciens de la paroisse — bourgeois et marchands rennais du XVe au XVIIe siècle qui financèrent et supervisèrent le long chantier de reconstruction
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Eglise Saint-Germain located?
Eglise Saint-Germain is located in Rennes, Département 35 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Eglise Saint-Germain built?
Eglise Saint-Germain dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Eglise Saint-Germain open to visitors?
Eglise Saint-Germain is currently closed to visitors.
