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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

Le Jeu de palme de Rennes, located at 12 rue Saint-Louis, is the only vestige of the former Grand Séminaire des Eudistes founded in 1670. A dendrochronological analysis (2011) dates back to its 1605-1607 wood frame, placing its construction in the early seventeenth century. Measuring 28.82 m by 9.15 m, it retains architectural elements typical of the palm games, although its galleries and stairs have disappeared. The district, then suburbs of Rennes, housed three other similar rooms in the 17th century, reflecting the enthusiasm for this sport, ancestor of tennis.

Named "Le Pélican", this popular place was sold in 1686 by Palasne de la Ménardière, bailiff in the Parliament of Brittany, to Charles Ferret, seigneur of Tymeur, for 6,000 pounds. The latter acquired for the bishopric of Rennes, which installed there the great seminary of the Eudists. The room was then transformed into a chapel: a transept was added, a vault was laid, and a Latin quotation of Genesis (1690) engraved on the pediment, marking its new religious vocation.

The transformation into a chapel coincides with the religious evolution of the neighborhood, marked by the construction of convents (Jacobins, Visitation). Confiscated at the Revolution, the building became military property in 1793, serving as a hospital, storage and then concierge. Purchased by the City of Rennes in 1994, he was listed at the Historic Monuments in 2012. Excavations (2014) revealed original architectural elements, such as the tile and the traces of the galleries. Rehabilitated, it was inaugurated in 2019 as intergenerational equipment.

The building, made of wood and terrace, illustrates the urban and religious changes of Rennes. Its system of beams and poles, visible on the rear façade, bears witness to its original structure. The chapel, with a sacristy and a bell tower, also served as a dwelling for the nuns of the military hospital in the 19th century. Today, it combines historical heritage and contemporary use.

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