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Origin and history

The Church of Notre-Dame, located in Hédé in the commune of Hédé-Bazouges (Ille-et-Vilaine), is a religious building built in the late 11th century or early 12th century. It was originally given by the Duke of Brittany to the Abbey of Saint-Melaine of Rennes, thus becoming a priory dependent on this abbey until the Revolution. Although its initial status as a parish remained uncertain, it was a truce of Bazouges-sous-Hédé in the 17th and 18th centuries before being erected as a parish in 1792.

The church architecture combines original Romanesque elements, such as its semicircular apse and its flat foothills, with subsequent transformations. In 1864, the architect Aristide Tourneux completely remodels the interior, replacing the original panel with stone and plaster vaults, and redrawing the decor. The bell tower was rebuilt between the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

On the outside, the west facade features a Romanesque door in the middle of the hanger surmounted by a window of the same style, framed by foothills and murderers. Baptismal fonts of the sixteenth century, octagonal style and granite, are placed in front of the entrance. These elements, as well as traces of successive restorations (such as the date of 1635 engraved on a walled bay), testify to the evolution of the monument throughout the centuries.

The Church of Notre-Dame has been classified as Historic Monuments since October 26, 2017. This classification includes not only the building itself, but also the soils of the former priory and adjacent cemetery, highlighting its heritage importance in the region.

Its history reflects the close links between the power of the Breton ducal and religious institutions, including the Saint-Melaine Abbey of Rennes, which played a central role in its development. The transformation into a parish in 1792 marked a break with its prior past, part of the upheavals of the French Revolution.

Today, the Church of Notre-Dame remains a major architectural testimony of the Romanesque period in Brittany, while bearing the marks of later periods, from medieval modifications to 19th century restorations.

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