Rennes Cathedral
The cathedral of Rennes , consecrated to the Apostle Peter (Saint-Pierre) , is the seat of the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Rennes in the east of the former Duchy of Brittany in what is now the Ille-et-Vilaine department . The building has been recognized as a monument historique since 1906 .
location
The cathedral is located about 200 m north of the river Vilaine, which is largely canalized in the urban area of Rennes, on the western edge of the old town at a height of about 30 m .
history
At the time of the Duchy of Brittany (approx. 850–1532) there were two previous buildings on the site. The second - a Gothic building - lost the west facade due to collapse in 1490; this was rebuilt in the following two centuries in the Renaissance style . The building remained unscathed during the town fire in 1720, but according to a building report, the entire nave including the choir area was demolished between 1756 and 1768 and rebuilt in classicist style from 1787. During the revolution , the construction progress stalled and construction was not completed until 1845. While the interior of the church was originally largely devoid of decoration, various stucco work , gilding and paintings were added in the second half of the 19th century .
architecture
The granite cathedral is a three-aisled basilica with an ambulatory choir . The approx. 48 m high bell towers are five storeys high and - despite their long construction time - have an overall very uniform design; A stone coat of arms of King Louis XIV (r. 1661–1715) is located above the central part of the facade .
The interior of the church is dominated by almost 20 columns with Ionic capitals . The central nave is vaulted and lit by lunette windows; the flat-roofed aisles have no windows on the north side. The crossing is spanned by a dome with a lantern . In the apse calotte and in the ambulatory there are several wall paintings by Alphonse Le Hénaff († 1884), including the handover of the keys to Peter and fictional depictions of the numerous saints of Brittany.
Furnishing
The furnishings include paintings and liturgical implements (see note 1).
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
Coordinates: 48 ° 6 ′ 41.6 ″ N , 1 ° 41 ′ 0 ″ W.