13. Rennes to Châteaubourg

The history of the Saint-Yves chapel is intimately linked to the development of hospital activity within the city of Rennes. On 8 October 1358, Canon Eudon Le Bouteiller, a priest of the diocese of Tréguier, laid the foundation of a Maison-Dieu in Rennes, deciding to transform his manor house and its outbuildings into a hospice also dedicated to the Virgin. This charitable act took place in a context of crisis, that of the War of the Succession of Brittany, where sieges did not spare the city, particularly that of 1356-1357, contributing to the spread of misery and disease.

The town hall of Rennes was built from 1734 to 1743 by Jacques V Gabriel following the great fire of Rennes in 1720 when Toussaint-François Rallier du Baty was mayor.
It housed in its north wing the law and science faculties of 1840. The chemistry cabinet, occupied in particular by Professor Faustino Malaguti until 1855, was located in the present mayor's office. It was considerably remodelled by Emmanuel Le Ray during Jean Janvier's first term of office; when he took office, the latter considered it "unworthy of a chief town, even one of much less importance than Rennes "6. A monumental staircase was built in the southern pavilion and interior fittings were made to make the premises more functional.

Saint-Germain is a parish church of Rennes located in the new town. Parish of the rich merchant merchants and then parliamentarians, the building is in flamboyant gothic style. It was erected for the most part from the 15th to the 17th century. It preserves the oldest stained glass window in Rennes as well as quality organs.
The present building was built, slowly, from 1470 to 1690. Started in Flamboyant Gothic, it was completed in late Renaissance style.

Old church mentioned as early as 1160 and raised in the 16th and 17th centuries (old tower dated 1582). The present church dates from the beginning of the 20th century. The architect used the model of the Plantagenet vault for the nave and aisles, but for the bell tower, he was inspired by Cornish bell towers. Two windows from the 15th and 16th century boundary of the old church have been reused to the south of the nave. This church, rebuilt in the flamboyant Breton style, is representative of the architect's style at that time.

The parish existed as early as the beginning of the 11th century. At that time, it was partly donated by Duke Alain III, Duke of Brittany, to the Abbey of Marmoutiers in Touraine. Indeed, he gave one third of the church of Saint-Martin de Servon to Ebrard, abbot of Marmoutiers. The Benedictines of Marmoutiers do not seem to have founded a religious establishment in Servon.
The construction of the old church, razed to the ground in 1880, was attributed to the lord of Le Gué. The present church was built between 1880 and 1885. The oldest stained glass windows are signed Claudius Lavergne et Fils. This church has a Latin cross plan and a porch bell tower in the front. The interior is divided into three naves covered with false vaults on crossed ribs.

This fortified church was built on the ruins of a feudal castle in the year 1893 and is inspired by medieval architecture.
Implanted on a rocky massif, in the heart of the village, but overhanging, the church of Châteaubourg presents itself as a building with multiple ambitions. Inspired by or replacing the absent castle, the church stands out by its austere (regularity of the grey sandstone structure) and defensive character (small number of openings). The bell tower, placed at the south-western corner of the building is inspired by a castle tower, by the choice of its location and its pavilion roof, flanked by turrets, which again suggest the vanished castle of a village with an evocative toponym. Only the western porch is inspired by a traditional Gothic repertoire. The door, to the south of the nave, which was recovered from the demolished church, is worth seeing.