Eglise Saint-Gilles
ChurchHidden Treasure
Eglise Saint-Gilles, located in Malestroit (Département 56), 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
- Malestroit, Département 56, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.8100, -2.3824
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00091420
The Romanesque and Gothic jewel of Malestroit, Saint-Gilles church reveals eight centuries of Breton history, from its austere Romanesque buttresses to its mysterious hexagonal "Belfry" set between two gables.
History
In the heart of Malestroit, a small medieval town in Morbihan crossed by the Nantes-Brest canal, the church of Saint-Gilles is one of the most precious architectural testimonies to inland Brittany. Built over several centuries, it offers the attentive visitor a veritable stratigraphy of medieval religious art, from the sober masses of its Romanesque section to the flamboyant outbursts of its 15th and 16th century additions. What makes Saint-Gilles truly unique is the perfectly legible coexistence of its successive eras. The dark, compact stone of the Romanesque section contrasts with the later additions, giving the building a dense, almost mineral silhouette, crowned by the surprising hexagonal turret known as "the Belfry". Standing between the gables of the two naves, this hybrid tower - neither a bell tower nor a civil belfry in the strict sense - embodies the Breton singularity that has never been afraid to blur the boundaries between the sacred and the communal. The porch alone is worth the diversions: its two basket-handle doors frame a slender pillar adorned with a canopied niche, while two powerful flanking pillars feature sculptures of an ox and a lion, evangelical symbols that have watched over the faithful for centuries. The interior, largely rebuilt after the fire of 1952, nevertheless retains the structure of the transept crossing and a cul-de-four niche whose sobriety betrays its age. A visit to Saint-Gilles also means taking in Malestroit, one of the region's most beautiful villages, with its medieval half-timbered houses and peaceful quayside. The church is a natural part of this picture of deep-rooted Brittany, at once discreet and unsuspectedly rich for those who take the time to look up.
Architecture
Saint-Gilles church has a Latin cross floor plan, the chronology of which is immediately apparent from the outside. The oldest part, dating from the 12th and 13th centuries, comprises the choir, the south transept arm and the crossing. It is characterised by flat buttresses with little overhang, small bays and local stone in dark, almost black tones, which give the whole a special gravity, far removed from the whiteness of the great cathedrals. The flamboyant porch is the showpiece of the building. Its two basket-arched portals are finely moulded, framing a central pillar with a canopied niche that was supposed to house a statue that no longer exists. Two thick flanking pillars, surmounted by sculptures of an ox and a lion - symbols of Saint Luke and Saint Mark - give the whole a sculpted presence that is rare for a church of this size. Between the gables of the two naves, the hexagonal turret known as the "Belfry" rises up in an unusual silhouette that breaks with the expected profile of a Breton parish church. Inside, the cul-de-four niche in the south transept arm is a precious archaeological vestige, probably the former site of a secondary altar dating back to the Romanesque phase. Despite the post-fire alterations, the transept crossing retains its function as a spatial pivot between the different building campaigns. The ensemble bears witness to uninterrupted liturgical continuity since the early Middle Ages, making Saint-Gilles as much a living document as a monument.
Related Figures
Saint Gilles — saint patron de l'église, ermite provençal du VIIe siècle dont le culte s'est répandu en Bretagne via les routes de pèlerinageÉvêques de Vannes — dont le diocèse englobait Malestroit au Moyen Âge et supervisait les grandes campagnes de construction paroissialesSeigneurs de Malestroit — puissante famille féodale bretonne qui contrôla la ville du XIe au XIVe siècle et contribua au développement de la paroisseJean de Malestroit — chancelier de Bretagne et évêque de Nantes (XIVe-XVe siècle), issu de la lignée seigneuriale locale, figure politique majeure du duchéMaîtres maçons anonymes du XVIe siècle — artisans responsables des agrandissements de 1511 et 1531, représentants de la tradition sculptée bretonne flamboyante
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Eglise Saint-Gilles located?
Eglise Saint-Gilles is located in Malestroit, Département 56 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Eglise Saint-Gilles built?
Eglise Saint-Gilles dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Eglise Saint-Gilles open to visitors?
Eglise Saint-Gilles is currently closed to visitors.