Rennes Cathedral, Rennes (must see)

The earliest cathedral of Saint-Pierre was replaced by a Gothic-style religious edifice in 1180. This took two centuries to build. The Gothic facade collapsed in 1490. The reconstruction works were started by Yves Mahyeuc, a senior Dominican of the Jacobins Convent and Confessor to Anne of Brittany. This important figure, who became the bishop of Rennes, started a construction site that outlived him.

The present facade of Neoclassical granite towers was built in four sections. The first tower was finished by 1543. Tugal Caris, a French architect, built the second tower in 1564. The third, done by architect Pierre Corbineau, was finished in 1678. The architect François Hoguet completed the towers in 1704, at their present height of 48 meters, and added the escutcheon of King Louis XVI between them.

During all the changes, architects rebuilt the interior as a Roman basilica. The nave and choir, however, had not been restored. After a great stone fell from the roof of the choir, it was decided to demolish all these parts and rebuild them. Reconstruction was done in the same style as the facade, using 44 massive white granite columns throughout. In 1841 Godefroy Brossay-Saint-Marc became bishop of Rennes. He wanted more changes.

Godefroy was wealthy and had powerful connections, including Pope Pius XI and Napoleon III. Changes focused on interior decor. The Tro Breizh, the region's iconic pilgrimage of the Seven Saints of Brittany, is depicted in the nave and the ambulatory by artist Jobbe-Duval. Charles Langlois covered the granite columns with stucco.

Statues of the four Evangelists by sculptor Laurant Esquerre overlook the transept. They were installed in 2019 at the opening of the new Cathedral treasury. The most prized treasure is a Flemish altarpiece dating from 1520. Display cases hold gold and silver crosses, censers, a Papal chalice, and precious liturgical vestments.