Brittany

by S. Baring-Gould

* QUINTIN (C.N.) chl. arr. S. Brieuc. In pretty woodland country. A menhir called La Roche-longue in a field near the town, 21 ft. high. The church is modern, but it retains some old glass. In the street of N.D. is a granite house of 1611. Another old house dates from 1560. Remains of the castle built in the 15th cent., which was replaced by another, never completed, in the 17th cent. The modern château contains a fine gallery of family portraits and Gobelin tapestries. In the cemetery is an ossuary of the 17th cent.

Redon (I.V.) chl. d'arrond. Above the junction of the Vilaine and Oust, at the foot of a hill, commanded by the ruined Château de Beaumont. Redon was a great abbey founded by King Nominoe and S. Convoyon. Here was held the council that deposed the Frank bishops of Rennes, Nantes and Vannes. The church was ruined at the Revolution, and all that remains of it are the W. tower and spire and the choir with a portion only of the nave. The tower now stands isolated. The nave is of the 14th cent. It was originally Romanesque. A transept is of the 12th cent. and there is a stunted central tower at the crossing. The choir ends in an apse and is of the 13th cent. and is fine. The high altar and the pulpit were given to the church by Richelieu. On the N. side of the choir is a fortified chapel of the 15th cent. In one of the side chapels is a tomb supposed to be that of Duke Francis I. The abbey buildings are occupied by the Institute of S. Sauveur. The cloisters are of the 17th cent. The canal from Nantes to Brest cuts the town in two and is crossed by a bridge.

The centre of the chestnut trade, the "marron." The trees are kept small and pruned, and are not suffered to exhaust themselves in producing a superabundance of fruit. The marron is much larger than the common "châtain."

* RENNES (I.V.). Capital of the Department, and the ancient capital of the duchy of Brittany. It is composed of two towns separated by the Vilaine. On the right bank is the Upper Town. Rennes was burnt down in 1720, and was rebuilt in the ugly style of the period, and in grey granite. The river has been embanked and carried in a straight course through the town. There are no fine buildings on the embankments. The most pretentious structure on the left bank, between the station and the river, is the lycée, with a chapel in a nondescript style. Several bridges, all mean in character, cross the river. On the right bank are the most important buildings. The cathedral is a hideous structure commenced in 1787 and completed in 1844. The two side doors and the niches at the west end belong to the earlier building and are renaissance. Within, the arch has been studiously avoided. Eight enormous red marble pillars on each side of the nave sustain the heavy vault and the clerestory. Their bases are but 6 feet apart. The interior has been richly decorated with gold and colour, but nothing can relieve the cumbrousness and gloom of the internal appearance.

THE CATHEDRAL, RENNES

One of the old gates of the town, the Porte Mordelaix, remains, but it is not particularly picturesque, and a few old houses escaped the fire and have not yet been pulled down. To the east of the cathedral is the Church of S. Sauveur, even more ugly than the former. In a small street opening from the river opposite the Hotel Moderne is the one architectural gem possessed by the town, the Chapel of S. Yves, now desecrated into a store-house. It is of the end of the 15th cent., and all the details, where not broken, are of exquisite beauty. Observe the N. door with its niches and the W. front. The Church of S. Germain is late and poor flamboyant, much altered in late renaissance times. The springing of the nave vaulting remains, and has been grotesquely finished off with scrolls. There is fine old glass, but in utter confusion, in the E. window. The large window of the S. transept contains fine glass representing the life of the Virgin below and saints and legendary incidents above in a series of 24 subjects.

S. Melaine is the church of a once famous abbey. Transepts and choir-arch are early Romanesque. The nave is 2nd pointed. The base of the tower is early 1st pointed, but has been refaced in the worst taste in baroque times; to this has been added in modern days an octagonal lantern and dome, and to complete the unsightliness and absurdity of the whole composition, the cupola is surmounted by an enormous gilt statue of the B. Virgin. Within may be noted the clumsy junction of the older and newer work in the second arch on the south side. The tracery in the side aisles of the nave has been cut away, but the clerestory windows of one light are delicate and refined. The clerestory of the choir is earlier, the E. wall and window have been reconstructed, and the tracery in the side aisles restored or modern. In the S. transept is a wax figure of S. Severina, whose bones from the Roman catacombs are preserved in this church. This wax figure receives a considerable cult. Adjoining the church is the Thabor with pleasant walks and grounds, on the highest point of the town. The botanical gardens adjoin. The Palais de Justice was begun as the seat of the Parliament of Brittany in 1618 and was completed in 1654. The façade is of the Tuscan order. The decoration of the interior was confided to four eminent artists in the reign of Louis XIV., and it has undergone rich decoration of late years. Rennes possesses good open places, as well as the broad esplanades by the river banks. Its museums and library are also well stored. The picture gallery contains a large collection of paintings, some really good, a Jordæns, a Paul Veronese, and a De Crayer.

Retiers (I.V.) chl. arr. Vitré. Four miles to the S.E. is a menhir called La Pierre de Richebourg.