Eglise Toussaints
ChurchHidden Treasure
Eglise Toussaints, 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
- 48.1091, -1.6756
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00090683
A Jesuit jewel from the 17th century, Toussaints church in Rennes epitomises the Counter-Reformation with its façade of columns and pediments, and boasts three lavishly elegant altarpieces.
History
In the heart of Rennes, Toussaints church stands like a stone manifesto of Jesuit architecture in Brittany. Built between 1625 and 1651, it belongs to the generation of religious buildings that the Society of Jesus spread throughout Catholic Europe to reaffirm the power and appeal of Catholicism in the face of the Protestant Reformation. Its evocative name - Toussaints, or All Saints - heralds a universal vocation that continues in the richness of its decorative programme. What really sets the Toussaints church apart from its Breton contemporaries is the skilful articulation of its façade, where columns, pilasters and superimposed pediments eloquently translate the architectural vocabulary codified by the Gesù in Rome. The Italian influence, filtered through the architects trained in the Society of Jesus, gives this building a sophistication that is rare in a town that, in the 17th century, was asserting itself as the parliamentary capital of the province. The interior is a special treat for lovers of religious art: three altarpieces known as "lavallois", i.e. from Laval in Mayenne, display their baroque vocabulary in a harmony of polychrome marble and gilded sculptures. Produced in renowned Mayenne workshops, these works bear witness to the artistic exchanges that took place in western France during the Baroque period, and form a remarkably coherent stylistic whole. A visit to Toussaints church is also a journey through the layers of Rennes' history: the Jesuits trained generations of minds here in their adjoining college, making this district one of the city's major intellectual and spiritual centres. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1922, the church today embodies the living memory of a learned and devout Rennes, in a dense city centre where it interacts with the city's half-timbered facades and parliamentary mansions.
Architecture
Toussaints church belongs to the type of Jesuit church codified on the basis of the Roman model, adapted here to the Breton context of the early 17th century. Its façade, the most eloquent feature of the building, is built on two superimposed levels, punctuated by classical columns and pilasters. Pediments - triangular or segmental depending on the level - crown the bays and portals, creating a play of projections and recesses that enliven the stonework and multiply the effects of light and shadow characteristic of the emerging Baroque taste. This architectural rhetoric, borrowed from Counter-Reformation Italy, deliberately contrasts with the Gothic sobriety of many contemporary Breton churches, affirming the modernity and universalism of the Society of Jesus. The interior, organised around a main nave flanked by side chapels, encourages the eye to focus on the choir and the altar, in accordance with Tridentine principles that favoured direct vision and understanding of the Eucharistic mystery. The three altarpieces from Laval are the interior treasure of the building: executed in the Laval workshops, renowned for their mastery of polychrome marble and ornamental sculpture, these ensembles feature twisted columns, niches with statues, canopies and foliage in a decorative profusion typical of classical French Baroque. Local materials, mainly the limestone and schist characteristic of the Rennes region, are used alongside imported marble in the most precious pieces, testifying to the wealth of the Jesuit commission.
Related Figures
Ignace de Loyola — fondateur de la Compagnie de Jésus, dont les principes spirituels et architecturaux guidèrent la construction de l'égliseArchitectes jésuites anonymes — concepteurs du plan et de la façade selon les canons de l'architecture de la Compagnie au XVIIe siècleArtisans lavallois — maîtres sculpteurs et marbriers des ateliers de Laval, auteurs des trois retables intérieursParlementaires rennais — commanditaires et mécènes liés au collège jésuite, dont les familles financèrent une partie du décor intérieurLouis XIV — dont le règne vit l'apogée de la présence jésuite en France et l'achèvement probable des retables de Toussaints
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Eglise Toussaints located?
Eglise Toussaints is located in Rennes, Département 35 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Eglise Toussaints built?
Eglise Toussaints dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Eglise Toussaints open to visitors?
Eglise Toussaints is currently closed to visitors.
