Renaissance · Architecture

Saint George Palace

Rennes

Saint George Palace is a historic building in Rennes, in the Thabor-Saint Hélier quarter east of the city centre. Located at 2 rue Gambetta near the north bank of the Vilaine river, it has a front garden and a main façade facing south. The building is visible when travelling north along rue Jean Janvier and is served by the République métro station.

The site has a long religious history. The Benedictine Abbey of Saint George was founded in 1032 by Duke Alain III of Brittany on behalf of his sister Adèle, who became the first abbess. In the 1660s, the 38th abbess, Magdelaine de la Fayette, commissioned architect Pierre Corbineau to design a new building and oversaw the demolition of the earlier abbey structure. The Palais Saint-Georges was then built by Pierre Corbineau and Tugal Caris, with the first two stones laid on 24 March 1670. The abbey remained in use until 1792, when it was closed during the French Revolution and its property seized by the government. The building has been listed as a monument historique of France since 1930.

Map showing the location of Saint George Palace in Rennes
Location of Saint George Palace in Rennes

Nearby Objects

History of the Saint George Palace

The Saint George Palace is a historic building in Rennes that was built in 1670 as an abbey residence. It replaced a much older abbey building on the same site, reflecting the long religious history of the location. The building was connected to the Benedictine Abbey of Saint George, which was forced to close in 1792 during the French Revolution, when its property was seized by the government. Since 1930, the Saint George Palace has been listed as a monument historique of France, recognizing its heritage value.

Location and Setting

Saint George Palace is located at 2 rue Gambetta in the Thabor-Saint Hlier quarter of Rennes, east of the city centre. The site lies very near the north bank of the Vilaine river and includes a front garden, with the main facade facing south. It is visible while travelling north along rue Jean Janvier, and it is served by the Metro station Republique.

From Abbey to Civic Building

The history of Saint George Palace begins with the foundation of the Benedictine abbey of Saint George in 1032 by Duke Alain III of Brittany on behalf of his sister Adela, who became the first abbess. In the 17th century, Magdelaine de la Fayette, the 38th abbess from 1663 to 1688, commissioned architect Pierre Corbineau to design a new building. She also oversaw the demolition of the main abbey building and the construction of the new Palais Saint-Georges, built by Pierre Corbineau and Tugal Caris. The first two stones were laid on 24 March 1670 by Bishop Charles-Francois de La Vieuville and Magdelaine de la Fayette, with copper plate inscriptions marking both the bishop's blessings and the abbess's renovation efforts.

The Palais Saint-Georges remained in use as a Benedictine abbey until 1792, when the French Revolution forced Abbess Julie Barreau de Girac and about twenty-four nuns, three novices, and eleven lay sisters to leave. The abbey's properties were seized and temporarily used as barracks, and the stone cross above the central pediment was destroyed. A cross was reinstated around 1970 as a reminder of the building's abbey heritage. The building was registered as a monument historique of France on 22 March 1930. It is now owned by the commune of Rennes and houses the fire services and other civil administrative offices for the city.

Architectural Features and Faade Details

Saint George Palace is described with a long gallery of nineteen two-storey windows and paired nineteen granite arches. The gallery is reached by a large double staircase with a substantial stone balustrade. Two pavilions in the same style stand at either end of the main gallery section, giving the building a symmetrical composition. The roof is a mansard roof with twenty-three dormer windows, and above the three central windows there is a large semi-circular pediment surmounted by a stone cross.

The pediment is sculpted with the arms of the abbey, flanked by figures of justice and peace. Additional heraldic decoration appears in relief on both end pavilions and in the centre of the building between the second- and third-storey windows, where the coat of arms of abbess Magdelaine de la Fayette is displayed. Her name is also shown in iron bars shaped as letters and bolted to the faade. The letters spelling MAGDELAINEDLFAYETTE are spaced evenly above the pier of each arch, with a double T joined above one pier.

In front of the building is a landscaped formal garden named Jardin Saint-Georges, with gravel paths leading to the main entrance.