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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Saint-Michel de Saint-Brieuc's neoclassical church was built between 1837 and 1841 by architect Louis Lorin to replace a 13th-century chapel, rebuilt in 1470 and then destroyed in 1839 with its cemetery. The building, blessed in 1841 and consecrated in 1875, remained sober until 1864, when interior decorations were added, including paintings by Raphaël Donguy and statues by Pierre-Marie-François Ogé.

The church was linked to significant events: Marshal Ferdinand Foch, future commander of the Allied troops in 1918, married Julie Bienvenüe there in 1883. During World War II, Abbé Fleury hid a clandestine transmitter behind the organ there before being arrested and killed in 1944. The author Louis Guilloux also mentions the building in his novel Le Sang Noir (1935).

Ranked a historical monument since 2014, the church is distinguished by its massive architecture and its role in local history. The street leading to the building also bears the name "street of Marshal Foch", in tribute to the wedding celebrated in its walls. His organ and pulpit, carved by Yves Corlay, bear witness to the artistic heritage of Breton from the 19th century.

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