Eglise Sainte-Mélaine
ChurchHidden Treasure
Eglise Sainte-Mélaine, located in Pacé (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
- Pacé, Département 35, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.1477, -1.7731
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00090649
Nestling in the heart of Pacé, the church of Sainte-Mélaine boasts a 15th-century portal with capitals carved with foliage and faces, while its southern façade features fern-leaf bonding dating back to the 11th century.
History
Standing in the market town of Pacé, a few kilometres from Rennes, the church of Sainte-Mélaine is one of those rural Breton churches whose apparent modesty conceals centuries of architectural stratifications. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1968, it invites the attentive visitor to decipher, stone by stone, the story of a community rooted in faith and stone since the early Middle Ages. What makes Sainte-Mélaine truly unique is the coexistence in the same volume of several perfectly legible periods. The irregular fern-leaf pattern on the south side, a technique typical of Breton Romanesque buildings, contrasts with the flamboyant elegance of the 15th-century west portal, whose four colonnettes with ornate capitals alternate sculpted foliage and expressive human heads. This interplay of stone gazes seeming to watch over the threshold of the building creates an atmosphere that is both solemn and mysterious. The interior is the result of a slow process of evolution, with a primitive nave enriched by two side chapels forming a transept that was added later. The choir, rebuilt in 1656, rises to a small square bell tower that punctuates the silhouette of the church from the surrounding meadows - a discreet Baroque touch in a resolutely medieval setting. A visit to Sainte-Mélaine is an intimate experience, far removed from the tourist crowds. It's a monument that has to be earned, one that will appeal to lovers of the archaeology of buildings, local history buffs and all those who are still fascinated by inland Brittany, with its quiet villages and changing skies. The village setting of Pacé, set between hedged farmland and the gentle hills of Ille-et-Vilaine, adds an authentic and serene touch to the visit.
Architecture
Sainte-Mélaine church has a simple but eloquent plan: a single nave, to which two side chapels were added during construction, forming a transept and giving the building a Latin cross silhouette. This organic evolution, common in rural Breton parishes, reflects the gradual enrichment of the community and its desire to endow its church with increasing dignity. The western façade is dominated by its 15th-century portal, a flamboyant jewel of refined sobriety. Four colonnettes frame the opening, their sculpted capitals alternating plant motifs with curly foliage and strikingly realistic human heads - an iconographic programme that recalls the moral and devotional intentions of late Gothic art. As for the south side of the building, it retains what is known as "fern-leaf" masonry, a technique that consists of arranging the rubble stones in oblique spikes, a characteristic of early Breton Romanesque art, possibly dating back to the 11th century. This archaic masonry, of precious authenticity, is one of the building's major archaeological interests. The choir, rebuilt in 1656, is distinguished from the rest of the building by its more classical architectural vocabulary, marked by the 17th century taste for pure forms. It is crowned by a slender square bell tower, a discreet but picturesque feature that rises out of the roof and punctuates the overall silhouette from the surrounding area. The materials used are those of traditional Breton buildings: the local granite, robust and grey, unifies parts built centuries apart and gives the building the austere beauty so characteristic of the Rennes region.
Related Figures
Saint Mélaine — évêque de Rennes au VIe siècle, fondateur de l'abbaye éponyme dont dépendait la paroisseAbbés de Saint-Mélaine de Rennes — gestionnaires de la paroisse de Pacé à partir de 1152, commanditaires du prieuréDuc de Mercoeur — chef des forces liguistes dont les troupes saccagèrent la paroisse en 1597Chouans de Pacé — paysans insurgés royalistes ayant combattu les gardes nationaux républicains dans le bourg en 1793
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Eglise Sainte-Mélaine located?
Eglise Sainte-Mélaine is located in Pacé, Département 35 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Eglise Sainte-Mélaine built?
Eglise Sainte-Mélaine dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Eglise Sainte-Mélaine open to visitors?
Eglise Sainte-Mélaine is currently closed to visitors.
