The City of Plenty | Rennes - Exploring France

It's not often we go to a city, especially one as big as Rennes which is one of  the biggest cities in Brittany. Despite doing lots of research before we left, we were surprised by how large it was and it was an awful lot bigger than we anticipated. This is definatly a visit for 2 days if you get the chance. We could have spend the whole day just in the park!

Some beautiful half-timbered houses of Rennes

The Parc Du Thabor spans over 10 hectares and it has a French style garden, an English style park, a cave, bandstand, aviary, rose garden and an open air theatre.  What more could you want!  This park was the former vegetable and pleasure garden of the monks of Saint-Melaine Benedictine Abbey which is right on the edge of the park. The park is so named because it refers to the mountain overlooking Lake Tiberias in Israel, Mount Tabor.  This mountain is significant because it has been linked to the transfiguration of christ and there are the remains of several churches on the top of it. It has also been occupied by a number of monks and hermits over the years. 

As we walked through the park on a beautiful early spring morning, we could see why people are taken aback by this place. We walked around the English Garden with its symetrical plants and lawns.  In the middle of this was a beautiful water fountain and even a couple of ducks to finish off the stereotypical view of an English garden.  This park really has stood the test of time, The first mentions of it date back to 1610. During the Middle Ages, the fortified enclosure of the towns walls prevented the extension of it, the land of the convents were large enough to plant orchards and gardens. During this time, Rennes only extended just passed Saint-Melaine Abbey so there was little room for expansion.  

When we were visiting the park we could see the sheer amount of effort and people it takes to maintain grounds as spectacular as these.  There were lots of staff around, some in a tree cutting some branches back, some tending to the lawns, and 3 people tending to the roses which we were a little early for which was disappointing but with a circular rose garden, we could tell it would have been beautiful in the right season.  There was just so much to see in this park, and because we wanted to take a look of the rest of the city, we felt a little rushed.  We walked down past the river which turned into a beautiful waterfall with Japanese style bridges and little nooks and crannies where benches stood for people to sit and relax.  We stumbled across the cave, which is a manmade cave built in the 1800's.  Its made out of concrete but is made to look like wood or rock.  I'm really not sure why, so if you know please leave me a comment!

Where is Rennes?

The final thing for us to see in the park was an aviary.  This stood right in the middle of the park and was one of the busiest things to see.  There was a random range of birds inside and a pigeon coop on the top allowing them to come and go freely.  Everywhere we go, there always seems to be a cockerel! Maybe they are unknowingly trying to compete with our own two, Rex and Kenneth.  But Parc du Thabor was no different,  in the aviary there was about 6 different species of chickens and just around the corner, there were more with their male counterparts! Cock-a-doodle-dooing away. Anyway, I digress, the aviary was beautiful and looked like it was topped with an oriental designed bird house but again, there doesn't seem to be much information about it on the internet, or at the park for that matter!

We walked out of the park and aimed to walk into town.  It was only a short walk, about 5 minutes to the bustling city centre.  We walked passed some of the most beautiful buildings in Rennes, one of the most striking turned out to be the local swimming baths.  It has been described as one of Frances greatest Art Déco gems.  The Saint-Georges swimming pool.  It officially opened in 1926 and is still used today.  People not only go to this place for a calming swim, but they also go to admire the mosaics.  The project to build this stunning structure was planned prior to world war one but due to the war it was put off and finally built in 1926 despite lots of disputes from the locals. 

The Mayor of the city at he time wanted to bring physical heath to the forefront of city life.  At this time, there were only 16 heated swimming pools in the whole of France and before the pools were built, the only places for the locals to swim was in the river or in the canal.  We went to have a look at the canal, we didn't take any photos but believe us, you would not want to swim in there!

Work on the pools began in 1923 and they are located right next to the Palace of Saint-George. The locals were still struggling with the concept of the pools, even right up until their opening. They were confused with the concept that it was a place to swim rather than wash and they often wondered why they were asked to shower before entering the water.  

Over the years, the pools have been used for different events and even festivals! DJ's have set up their decks on the diving board and people bobed about to the beat of the music.  It has also been a theatre and a cinema, in 2010, the pool was transformed into cinema allowing 150 swimmers to enjoy a film. We didn't get to go inside because of ongoing Covid restrictions, only swimmers are allowed in during a certain time slot. 

The Palace Saint-George which is right next door to the pool was next on our itinerary.  Now used as council buildings and offices for the fire department.  But this building is a former abbey.  It was built in 1670 to replace a much older abbey on the same site. In 1032, the Duke of Brittany at the time founded the abbey on behalf of his sister who was a benedictine nun and became the convents first abbess.  In the 1660s, the 38th abbess commissioned an architect to design a new building. She oversaw the demolition of the old building and presided over the construction of the new one. The first two stones of the new abbey were laid by Bishop of Rennes, and the abbess who made the new building come to fruition.  The building remained as an abbey until 1792 when it was forced to close due to the French Revolution.  The abbess at the time abanonded the abbey along with 24 nuns, 3 novices and 11 lay sisters. the properties were seized and they were used as barracks for the revolution. 

The palace and former Abbey

It is an amazing building to look at, its 2 stories high and has a long gallery of 19 windows paired with 19 granite archways. There is a coat of arms for Magdelaine de La Fayette who was the abbess that commissioned the current building as well as her name in iron bars bolted to the facade spaced every above each arch. In front of this beautiful building, are the formal gardens of Saint-George with gravel paths leading to the main entrance. 

Just across the road from Palace Saint-George is rue Saint-George, one of the most beautiful streets in the city.  You can look at the half timbered houses which range from 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.  This street has the most half timbered facades in the whole of the city. This is now a street of bars, restaurants and hotels.  With the building of the Parliament in the 17th century (which we will come on to) Rue Saint-George had a bit of a revival. As there were parlimentarians from all over France visiting, many chose to stay in Rue Saint-George whilst visiting the city. They often rented buildings on this street as it is just down the road from the Parliament buildings.  

In 1720, Rennes suffered the fate of a huge fire that ripped though the city. Although there are quite a few half timbered houses remaining, most were destroyed.  Rue Saint-George is one of the best preserved. Why? Well, the rich people living in the houses at the time "sacrificed" their poorer neighbours houses to save their own. If you look closely at the architecture, only every other house is timber framed. The nobility of the time asked their less wealthy neighbours to collapse their houses before the fire could reach them, acting as a fire breaker. Most were happy to oblige (I'm not sure I would have been so understanding) and so the richer houses survived the fire.  The fire could be seen coming from further down the hill, so those inhabitants of Rue Saint-George had the advantage.  

As I said earlier, this road leads to the Parlimental buildings of Rennes. It has been argued this building is the most important in the city and one of the strongest symbols of Breton history. The parliament attracts a large number of visitors every year, but as with everything in France during the low season, it was closed.   In 1532, the Duchy of Brittany became part of the Kingdom of France due to the marriages of the Duchesses of Brittany to Kings of France. A treaty of union was created and the decision to built Brittany Parliament came not long after in 1554.  

Beautiful town squares of Rennes, there are quite a few

The construction began in 1615 and ended in 1655.  Much of this original building was destroyed during a fire in 1994. There was a protest in Rennes from local fishermen due to the reduction in the price of fish. Flares were launched in protest and some reached the roof of the building. The roof was completely destroyed, along with the main structure the attorney generals office, library and thousands of records that were kept there all went up in flames. It was decided to rebuild the parliament buildings, it took 5 years and was restored to how it would have originally looked. 

From here, we went for a wonder through the city to try and find Rennes cathedral. Not that it was hard to find! The site has been used as a cathedral since the 6th century, the earliest building was completely replaced in the 12th century but in 1490, the tower and went front collapsed.  The existing facade was constructed over the next two centuries.  It must have been difficult for the original architects to have started something they knew would never be finished in their life time.  The towers weren't completed until 1704 and they soar 48 meters (157 feet) into the sky.  

So, a bit of a random fact I found when hunting for information about the cathedral was that it was within the walls of the building, in 1483, the decision was made that would end the War of the Roses in the UK.  Henry VII of England was in exile in Brittany, and it was here that he promised to marry Elizabeth of York in order to join the army that remained loyal to the late Edward IV of England. Think back to your school days when you tried to recite which king came after which! Well this marriage in 1486, put an end to the War of the Roses and initiated the Tudor dynasty. All of that from a decision made within the Cathedral!

When we got to the Cathedral, the sign did say it was closed, but people were going in and out so we thought it was worth a try. Its not often that Matt will go into a church or cathedral but he didn't take much persuading so off we went! Like many French cathedrals built in this period it is one with grandeur.  The building is decorated with gold and shows the opulence of the city during the time. 

The cathedral has a total of five bells weighing a staggering total of 14,974 kg thats 2,358 stone! The biggest and heaviest weighs in at 7,900 kg (1,244 stone) and is named Godefroy after the first Cardinal Archbishop of Rennes. This is the largest hidden bell in the whole of Brittany and is housed in the Cathedrals North Tower.  The other four are in the South Tower, they are named  Marie, Pierre, Amand and Melaine. The oldest is Pierre and dates back to 1843, the other three were all cast in 1934.  We weren't lucky enough to hear the bells chime this time, but maybe when we go again we will have to make sure we are there on the hour. 

Just outside the Cathedral, down a narrow alley that you'd never be able to find on your own is a section of the old ramparts.  A gatehouse that served as part of the town walls in the 10th century that was used mainly as an entrance for possessions.  It is equipped with a movable bridge which is preserved so its quite an impressive sight to see.  The fortifications themselves date back to the 3rd century AD when the town was nicknamed "The Red" because of the colour of the brick walls.  During the centuries, there wasn't much need for the city wall so it was left to ruin. But in the 15th century, it was decided a new one should be built to defend the entrance to the city from invaders. This is the part that can still be seen today. The only downside, was that when we were there, there were renovation works being carried out and we couldn't see it in all its glory. It was however an odd sight to see. The alley which led to the old gate was a dingy dark road with a couple of restaurants and creperies which looked like they hadn't been open in years!

So, some random facts about modern Rennes...

- In 2002, Rennes became the smallest city in the world to have an underground metro line. It consists of only one line running from northwest to southeast, the second line is due to open in April 2022.  

- The university it the 8th largest in the country, you can tell by the huge amount of bars everywhere!

- Rennes was the first city to have a localised TV station in 1987, Rennes TV

- By population, Rennes is the 11th largest city in the country

- In 2018, Rennes was voted first in the "ranking of cities in France where life is good"

During our trip to Rennes, we had to take a look at Rue Saint-Michel. This is, along with Rue Saint-George one of best preserved examples off half timbered housing. Nowadays though, it has a nickname amongst students called "Drinkers Alley". This road has a bar every 7 metres! We were there in the day, so it was all shut and didn't look like there was a lot going on but apparently at night, this place becomes a hive of activity and can become quite larey in the evenings. 

The final stop on our tour was the Place de la Mairie, a quintessentially French square.  This is a pedestrianised town hall square with the Mairie (town hall) to one side and the Rennes opera house on the other. This square dates back to 1720, after the major fire in the city. There are lots of statues of the Goddess of health that were erected in 1754, we spent a little while trying to find them.  Turns out, it was on top of the opera house!  During the French Revolution, a guillotine was installed here for public hangings and yes, we're leaving the blog on a not so happy note, two conspirators were hung here.  

Next week, we go on the hunt for the Devil but... will we find him! Come back to see!

To see this wonderful place, check out our Youtube channel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiHINcXYeR8&t=729s

W3W

I know I usually pop a W3W here for all the interesting places we see, but this week there were just far too many! So you'll have to have a look around the city yourself!

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