Eglise Saint-Suliac et cimetière
ChurchHidden Treasure
Eglise Saint-Suliac et cimetière, located in Saint-Suliac (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
- Saint-Suliac, Département 35, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.5697, -1.9734
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00090880
Joyau du gothique breton planté au cœur d'un village de pêcheurs sur la Rance, Saint-Suliac séduit par son porche à statues du XIIIe siècle et son puissant clocher de granit qui domine l'estuaire.
History
Perched on the heights of the medieval village of Saint-Suliac, one of the Most Beautiful Villages in France, the parish church dedicated to the Welsh evangelist saint of the region stands out as one of the most intact Gothic buildings in Ille-et-Vilaine. Its dark granite silhouette, massive and noble, has been in dialogue with the moving waters of the Rance for centuries, offering visitors arriving by the riverbank or through the alleys of the village a sight of great plastic power. What makes this church truly unique is the quality and coherence of its 13th-century Gothic style, preserved despite the vicissitudes of the Wars of Religion and successive restorations. The nave with its aisles, the cylindrical piers adorned with engaged colonnettes, the radiating bay in the south arm of the transept and the sober flat chevet form an ensemble of typically Breton ascetic elegance, far removed from the ornamental debauchery that is sometimes attributed to the region's flamboyant Gothic style. The north porch alone is worth a visit: framed by niches housing statues whose craftsmanship testifies to the mastery of local workshops in the Central Middle Ages, it constitutes a rare iconographic programme in a rural parish of this size. The grazing late afternoon light reveals the sculpted reliefs with a photographic precision that will delight lovers of Romanesque-Gothic art as well as photographers in search of unexpected compositions. The cemetery surrounding the church, listed at the same time as the church, adds a contemplative dimension to the visit. The discoid stelae and granite crosses, some of which date back to the early modern era, bear witness to the long funerary continuity of this sacred site, anchored in the area long before the construction of the current building. Walking between these stones, facing the glistening estuary in the distance, is a timeless experience.
Architecture
The church of Saint-Suliac adopts the Latin cross plan characteristic of 13th-century Gothic architecture: a central nave flanked by two aisles, a transept whose northern arm is topped by a square granite bell tower of Breton strength, and a flat chevet that contrasts with the semi-circular or polygonal absises more common in continental Gothic architecture. This choice of flat chevet, common in Cistercian architecture and in the English tradition, gives the building a considered austerity. Inside, the alignment of the nave's cylindrical piers, adorned with fine engaged colonnettes, is one of the most remarkable elements of the architectural decoration. This arrangement, inherited from the primitive Gothic style of the Île-de-France region, creates a sustained vertical rhythm and a structural lightness that contrasts pleasantly with the robustness of the overall construction. The north porch, pierced through the gutter wall, is framed by statuary niches that bring it closer to the large portals with iconographic programmes in cathedrals of the same period, in a village-style version of great quality. The south arm of the transept features a beautiful radiating Gothic bay window, with geometric infills that delicately catch the light. The panelled vaulting redone in the 17th century, although replaced in 1902 by neo-Gothic brick and plaster vaults, is reminiscent of the Breton painted roof tradition. The dominant materials used are local granite, which is omnipresent in the architecture of the Malouine region, carefully carved for the sculpted elements and used in a regular pattern for the walls. This use of granite gives the building a sober grey-blue colour palette, which ages nobly under the spray of the Rance.
Related Figures
Saint Suliau (Suliac) — moine évangélisateur gallois du VIe siècle, fondateur légendaire de la communauté chrétienne locale dont l'église perpétue le souvenirArchitectes et maîtres maçons bretons anonymes du XIIIe siècle — concepteurs du plan gothique et du décor sculpté du porcheSculpteurs locaux du XIIIe siècle — auteurs des statues du porche nord, témoins de la vitalité des ateliers régionauxMembres de la communauté paroissiale du XVe siècle — commanditaires des modifications extérieures de l'églisePartisans de la Ligue (fin XVIe siècle) — acteurs des destructions qui ont emporté la flèche et l'escalier du clocher lors des guerres de Religion en Bretagne
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Eglise Saint-Suliac et cimetière located?
Eglise Saint-Suliac et cimetière is located in Saint-Suliac, Département 35 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Eglise Saint-Suliac et cimetière built?
Eglise Saint-Suliac et cimetière dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Eglise Saint-Suliac et cimetière open to visitors?
Eglise Saint-Suliac et cimetière is currently closed to visitors.
