Église Saint-Germain de Rennes is a parish church in Rennes, located in the new town and bordered on its south side by Place Saint-Germain. It was a parish of wealthy merchant-dealers and later parliamentarians. The church is built in the flamboyant Gothic style and was mainly constructed between the 14th and 15th centuries. It preserves the oldest stained glass window in Rennes and contains quality organs.
The site has a long history. A small primitive church dated from the 8th century, and a cemetery surrounded the church in the 9th century. Two pillars near the sacristy are the only remains of that earlier church. The present church has been classified as a historic monument since 1924.
Architecturally, it has a rectangular plan with a flat chevet and west wall, and a beveled southwest corner following the trace of the ancient Rennes-Angers Roman road. Its west façade includes a large Gothic bay once housing the Apocalypse stained glass, which was destroyed and is now obscured by an organ installed in the 18th century. The most spectacular exterior feature is the late Renaissance south porch, designed by Germain Gaultier between 1606 and 1623. The bell tower, built between 1519 and 1550, was originally the belfry tower of the city guardhouse before being ceded to the parish in 1651. The nave is high and typical of Breton flamboyant Gothic, with light pillars, large semicircular arches, and long sablières decorated with monstrous or grotesque figures. Its vault was originally planned with wooden ribs but was erected as a single broken barrel vault in the 17th century.
Nearby Objects
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Place Saint-Germain 50 m away -
Place du Parlement-de-Bretagne 130 m away -
Rennes Opera House 150 m away -
Saint George Palace 200 m away -
Place de la Mairie 200 m away
Architecture and Historical Role
Église Saint-Germain de Rennes is a parish church located in the new town of Rennes, bordered on its south side by Place Saint-Germain. It was the parish of wealthy merchant-dealers and later parliamentarians, reflecting its historical association with influential urban groups. The church is built in the flamboyant Gothic style and was mainly constructed between the 14th and 15th centuries. Among its notable features, it preserves the oldest stained glass window in Rennes and contains quality organs, adding to its cultural and artistic significance.
Historical Remains and Protection
The history of Saint-Germain de Rennes includes a small primitive church dating from the 8th century. By the 9th century, a cemetery surrounded the church. Today, the only remaining traces of that early building are two pillars near the sacristy. The church has been classified as a historic monument since 1924, reflecting its recognized historical value.
Architecture and Historical Features
The Eglise Saint-Germain de Rennes has a rectangular plan with a flat chevet and west wall, and its southwest corner is beveled to follow the trace of the ancient Rennes-Angers Roman road. Its nave is high and characteristic of Breton flamboyant Gothic style, with light pillars, large semicircular arches, and long sabliures decorated with monstrous or grotesque figures. The vault was originally planned with wooden ribs but was built in the 17th century as a single broken barrel vault. The chancel ends in a flat chevet with Gothic fenestration.
The west facade includes a large Gothic bay that once held the Apocalypse stained glass, which was later destroyed. This bay is now obscured by an organ installed in the 18th century. The most spectacular exterior feature is the south porch, a late Renaissance work from 1606 to 1623 designed by Germain Gaultier, who had been the first architect of the Palace of the Parliament of Brittany before Salomon de Brosse.
The bell tower was built between 1519 and 1550 and originally served as the belfry tower of the city guardhouse before being ceded to the parish in 1651.
Stained Glass in the Church
The Gothic fenestration of Eglise Saint-Germain de Rennes contains a notable stained glass ensemble. Its main stained glass was made in the 20th century by the master glassmaker Max Ingrand, who also worked on the chapel of the grand seminary, Saint-Pierre Cathedral, and Todos los Santos Church. The church retains two older stained glass windows as well. The main stained glass in the chancel is a composition of 16th-century fragments that were destroyed during the Revolution, later found in a barrel in the 19th century and assembled without order. On the south flank is the oldest stained glass in the city, dating from the 15th century. It was recomposed in 1860 using intact stained glass from the building and has been classified as a historical monument since 1911. Its panels depict scenes from the life of the Virgin, Saint Anne and Saint Joachim, the Passion, and Saint John the Evangelist.
Organ, Liturgical Furnishings, and Interior Art
The church of Saint-Germain contains a grand organ case from the Abbaye Notre-Dame de Priieres in Billiers, in the diocese of Vannes. It was installed and enlarged between 1823 and 1826 with flat fronts and turrets to house an instrument by Pierre-Francois Dallery. The organ then received new stops added by Daublaine-Callinet in 1841-1842 and by Merklin-Schutze in 1867. After the Second World War, Guetschenritter extended the instrument in a neoclassical style. A restoration by the Renaud manufacture of Nantes in 1996 returned it to a more classical aesthetics while respecting the romantic additions made by Merklin-Schutze. Both the organ case and the instrument were classified as historic monuments on unspecified dates. The church also contains a Debierre polyphone used for schola accompaniment. Behind the high altar is a large painting by Eloi Firmin Feron depicting the Resurrection of Lazarus. This work replaced a painting by Gaspard de Crayer in 2008 at the Museum of Fine Arts of Rennes.