Rue de la Psalette (Psalette Street), Rennes

Curving behind the apse of the Saint-Pierre Cathedral in Rennes is Rue de la Psalette, a short, narrow lane between Rue du Chapitre and Rue Saint-Sauveur. The word "psalette" is a derivative of the verb "psalmodier", which means reciting of psalms in a low monotonous tone. It also refers to the children's choir in church or a building where these children were housed.

The one at No. 8, acquired by the Cathedral Chapter in 1476, is exactly that sort of building. Its acquisition contract, however, wasn't signed until much later, under the episcopate of Jacques d'Épinay, in the mid 1700s.

Also, whilst in this alley, you can notice the former hotel Le Gonidec, at No. 1, otherwise known as the "Corner House". Dating from 1609, this building features two floors behind a half-timbered facade, with chevrons and oeil-de-boeuf (bull's-eye), a small circular window, resembling a wheel. The other houses nearby, with restored timber framing and semicircular doors, date from the 17th and 18th centuries.

However, the oldest house in the neighborhood, much as in the whole of Rennes, is at No. 12. It is believed to date back as far as the late 14th century, judging by its sandpit complete with the joist and the spacer.