Notre-Dame-en-Saint-Mélaine

Saint-Melaine street brings us right in front of the abbatial church of the same name. It was dedicated to Saint Mélaine, who is considered to be Rennes’ first bishop. He isn’t just any bishop. In 511, he participated, along with 31 other bishops, to the First Council of Orleans, convoked by Clovis to establish rules regarding the royal power and the Church. Melaine’s popularity also comes from the many miracles he performed, even after his death. The small church that was built on his grave, would ultimately become the abbey that you have before your eyes! It first burned during the 7th century, then once again during the 10th century, requiring the monks to flee with the saint’s remains. Rebuilt during the 11th century, it was enlarged and improved as time went on. The abbey was finally completed in 1855 with the addition of a story to the bell tower crowned by a golden Virgin. If you take a look inside, you will see several remnants belonging to the Romanesque building, such as the crossing of the transept, which is the intersection between the main nave and the transverse nave. This intersection gives churches their characteristic Latin cross shape, with a longer vertical arm and a shorter horizontal arm.You may also notice that the several stained glass windows are actually just colored glass. They were installed in the 50s to replace the original ones that were blown by the 1943 bombing. Make sure to visit the cloister behind the building, in order to discover its beautiful 17th century arcades. Capitals from the medieval Romanesque cloister have also been discovered and are on display at the Museum of Brittany.