A church from the early 20th century, located in a mid-size city in Brittany - ref 310825
A church from the early 20th century, located in a mid-size city in Brittany.
The church is located in Brittany, within a geographical area close to the sea, city and countryside, several dozen kilometres from two popular seaside resorts, while a developed road network makes Brest, Rennes and Paris easily accessible. Surrounded by an attractive, young and dynamic residential neighbourhood with numerous and varied shops and services, the edifice is only a few minutes by foot from the SNCF train station as well as four primary schools.
The church occupies a central position in its neighbourhood. To the south, it has two adjacent outbuildings, while its outskirts are mostly decorated with flowers, which contrast nicely with its granite colour. Of Gothic inspiration, it is topped with a gabled slate roof, while its façade in granite rubble stone has ashlar stone window and door surrounds. The architect also valued natural or painted bricks, which create a polychromatic interplay typical of this architectural period, of which other illustrations can also be found in the surrounding houses as well as in the villas typical of the nearby seaside resorts.
Its numerous lateral windows, under Gothic horseshoe-shaped arches, are placed in pairs on each side of the transept, topped with bull's-eye windows, while, in the front, a staircase from the forecourt leads to a door with a half-moon stained glass window in its upper section. Four arrow slits on either side of its entrance give a defensive air to this slender façade, topped with a traditional belfry, the lower part of which is crenelated. Besides the front door, there are several other entrances: one is located on its lateral façade and provides access to the nave, while two others each open onto a small entrance hall that leads to the adjacent outbuildings.
In the back, on each side of the choir, small patios are visible from the street and are bordered by a balustrade, the geometrical shapes of which evoke a graceful pile of small building blocks.
The Church
The ground floor
Light inundates the church's interior via stained glass windows composed of multiple diamond-shaped pieces of clear and bluish glass. A nave, transept and choir structure the whole, whose warm colours contrast with the blue painted ceiling. Like the outside, brick is showcased here as well as granite. On either side of the front door, a staircase provides access to an upper gallery where an organ is located. The view from above is breath-taking and reveals the nave and choir in all their splendour. The choir and both external sections of the transept are bordered by arches resting on columns and their crenelated capitals. There are also two small doors that lead to the belfry, in addition to the ones that provide access to the sacristy and a logistics room.
The upstairs
A gallery, which is reserved for the choir, is accessible via two staircases from the nave.The OutbuildingsAdjacent to the church, they form a U shape and include two study rooms, a lavatory and a furnace room. A hallway, partially open to the outside, connects the different rooms with one another.
