Construction under Peter II vers 1450 (≈ 1450)
Transformation of the priory into a ducal prison.
1878
Final closure
Final closure 1878 (≈ 1878)
Transfer of detainees to Saint-Hélier.
1937
Occupation by a trader
Occupation by a trader 1937 (≈ 1937)
Paul Thomas-Martin established his business.
1942
Partial classification
Partial classification 1942 (≈ 1942)
Registration of the Saint-Pierre factory.
1965–1976
Art workshop *l
Art workshop *l 1965–1976 (≈ 1971)
Directed by Pierre Gilles and Mariano Otero.
2014
Full registration
Full registration 2014 (≈ 2014)
Recognition of the entire building.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The old prison, namely: on the one hand a building sis 5-7, gangway Rallier-du-Baty (cad. AC 381) for the entire stair tower, the facades and roofs of all other buildings, excluding that of the nineteenth century, the floor galleries, the inner courtyard with its well, the plate floor of the plot; on the other hand, a building sis 4, aisle Rallier-du-Baty (cad. AC 383) for the facades and roofs of the former criminal chamber: inscription by order of 26 June 2014
Key figures
Pierre II de Bretagne - Duke of Brittany
Prison commander around 1450.
Pierre Gilles - Rennais painter
Founded in 1965.
Paul Banéat - Local historian
Documented the Old Rennes.
Léon Le Berre - Archivist and journalist
Studyed St. Michael's prison.
Origin and history
The former Saint-Pierre de Rennes Manecantery, also known as Saint-Michel Prison, is a building built around 1450 under Duke Pierre II of Brittany. Originally integrated into Saint-Michel Priory (XII-15th century), it became a civil and military prison, known under various names: the Feillé, the Conciergerie, or Marat prison during the Revolution. Its architecture, organised around a central square courtyard with screw staircase, has changed little since the 18th century. The spaces were divided between dungeons, chapels, infirmaries and cells with evocative names such as the Golden or the Lansquenet.
The prison ceased its prison activity in 1878, after sheltering military detainees and subsequently transferring convicts to the central house in Rennes. In the 20th century, the building was converted: in 1937, a wine trader occupied it; in 1965, the painter Pierre Gilles founded the Académie Libre l'Escabeau, an art workshop opened until 1976. Ranked a historic monument in 1942 for its manecantery and registered again in 2014, it now houses restaurants and bars, while maintaining its architectural heritage intact.
Its history reflects the urban changes in Rennes, moving from a medieval place of detention to a cultural and commercial space. The municipal archives ( FF Justice series) and the works of local historians, such as Paul Banéat or Léon Le Berre, document his role in the Breton justice system, from the walls of the 15th century to its contemporary rehabilitation. The prison Saint-Michel thus embodies the superposition of usages, between prison memory and heritage renaissance.
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