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Origin and history

The church Saint-Michel de Liffré, located in the department of Ille-et-Vilaine in Brittany, is a Romano-Byzantine religious building designed by architect Arthur Regnault. Its construction ran from 1888 to 1938, with a first major phase completed in 1891 for the choir and nave, followed by the finalisation of the bell tower in 1938 by Hyacinthe Perrin after Regnault's death in 1932. At its inauguration, only the choir was finished, highlighting a master altar in Belgian marbles, sculptures of the Twelve Apostles by the house Lesage of Paris, and a ciborium decorated with mosaics signed Odorico. The abside housed a monumental painting depicting Christ between Mary and Saint Michael, work by Gaston Jobbe-Duval.

The church is part of a series of five Romano-Byzantin buildings with a central plan realized by Regnault, between those of Corps-Nuds (previous) and Maxent (next). Its architecture combines a spacious nave structured by four broken arches, a rounded bedside, and a trunk dome, all dominated by a square bell tower surmounted by a pyramidal arrow. The stained glass windows of the choir bore the arms of Pope Leo XIII and Cardinal Place, emphasizing its anchoring in the Catholicism of the time. The old church, partly dating from the 16th century, was demolished to give way to this ambitious project, now protected as historical monuments since 2014.

Among the outstanding furniture elements are polychrome marble altars and a chair, reflecting the care taken in interior design. The construction is part of a context of religious architectural renewal in Brittany, where churches became symbols of communal prestige and faith, integrating innovative techniques and materials for the time. The contribution of Parisian artisans (such as Lesage) or frontier (Belgian marble shops) also illustrates the artistic and commercial networks of the late 19th century.

The Saint-Michel church thus embodies a synthesis between local tradition and external influences, while marking the landscape of Liffré by its central volume and its emblematic bell tower. Its recent inscription in historical monuments recognizes its heritage value, both for its architecture and for its furniture, witness to the sacred art of the period.

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