Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The abbey of Saint-Gildas-des-Bois was founded in the early 11th century by Félix, abbot of Saint-Gildas de Rhuys, as part of a post-vik evangelization project in Brittany. With the support of Simon I of the Roche-Bernard, local lord, and monks detached from Redon Abbey, it became a major religious home. The relics of St Gildas, reported by Rhuys, attracted pilgrims for the "evil of St Gildas" (folio), strengthening his prestige. The early church, considered too small, was replaced at the end of the 12th century by the present building, remarkable for its Romanesque stylistic unit.

In the 15th century, the abbey adopted the system of commende under Jean Bohier (1492), named by Charles VIII, marking its decline: the abbots, now outside, no longer resided there. Despite the wars of Religion, the Maurists raised the monastery in the mid-17th century (1645). In 1790 the Revolution abolished the abbey, but Abbé Gabriel Deshayes bought the buildings to set up an educational congregation. The church, classified as a historical monument in 1994, was restored after the 1944 bombings which destroyed its bell tower and stained glass windows.

The architecture of the Abbey reflects its turbulent history. The abbey church, in ferroruginous sandstone ("russard"), combines Cistercian counting with Breton influences, like the great Renaissance Bay (1533) financed by Jean V of Brittany. The choir (XII century) preserves 36 17th century stalls, while the capitular hall (XV century) and the fence of the monks (1711) testify to monastic life. The contemporary stained glass windows (2007), inspired by the children of the Salpêtrière, evoke the dedication to Saint Gildas, protector of the "mad".

External links