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Origin and history

The Saint-Sulpice church of Gennes-sur-Seiche, located in Ille-et-Vilaine, is a Catholic building listed as historical monuments since 1926. Its architecture, marked by multiple gables and a side bell tower, is part of the tradition of Breton churches of the 16th and 17th centuries, such as those of Vitré or La Guerche-de-Bretagne. Construction, progressive, spread between the second half of the 16th century and the 1660s, a period of prosperity linked to the tillage industry and the cultivation of hemp in the Vitrean region. The tower was reportedly erected during the League Wars, while the lateral chapels and sacristy (dated 1662) testify to subsequent enlargements.

The parish of Gennes-sur-Seiche, mentioned in the 11th century, initially depended on the abbey of Saint-Serge d'Angers. A priory was founded there under conditions, before being reunited with Brielles in 1300. Under the Ancien Régime, the parish was part of the diocese of Rennes, then attached to the dean of Argentré-du-Plessis after the concordat. Today, the church belongs to the parish Our Lady of Hope, south of Vitré. His furniture, such as the eighteenth century pulpit or the 19th century stained glass windows signed Chauvel and Rathuis, reflects local devotions and successive restorations, including that of the porch in 1882 by architect Arthur Regnault.

The building, built on an artificial mound corresponding to the ancient cemetery, preserves a 15th century hosanary cross carved with religious motifs (Child's Life, Christ on the Cross). Its three-nave plan, covered with panelling, and its sculpted decoration illustrate an architecture adapted to the needs of an expanding rural community. The glass windows, homogeneous and dated from the 1860s to the 1880s, celebrate popular saints (Sulpice, Anne, Joseph) and important events such as the dogma of the Immaculate Conception (1854). These elements, combined with 19th-century restorations, highlight the cultural and artistic continuity of this Breton monument.

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