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Origin and history

Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul de Ploubalay Church, located in the Côtes-d'Armor, is a neo-Gothic building built between 1858 and 1873. It replaces a medieval church mentioned in 1163 in a papal bubble and mentioned in 1310 in the will of Jean Goyon, lord of La Gouesnière. The former building, damaged during the Brittany War of Succession, was partially rebuilt in 1715, but its condition deteriorated in the nineteenth century, leading to its demolition in 1844.

The reconstruction was entrusted to the Malouin architects Frangeul father and son. The work, begun in 1858, was interrupted by financial difficulties before resuming in 1865, thanks to a ministerial grant of 4,000 francs in 1873. The church was finally consecrated in 1877. Its imposing architecture, with a bell tower and a nave in a Latin cross, dominates the local landscape, contrasting with the modern buildings surrounding it.

The building houses remarkable furniture, including baptismal fonts of the 15th and 18th centuries and an 18th century eagle-lutrin. His stained glass windows, made by the Lobin workshops of Tours and Megnen d'Angers in 1869, illustrate religious scenes such as the life of the Virgin Mary and Saint John the Baptist. In 2021, a golden oak cross, carved by Alain Savariau from a beam of the Prieuré du Mont-Saint-Michel, was installed and blessed.

The stone used for the construction comes from local granite, while the roof is covered with slate. The foothills and bays, made of cut stone, reinforce the structure, while the north and south collaterals are distinguished by six juxtaposed gables. Interior, vaulted dogives, reflects the influence of neo-Gothic style, a popular 19th century architectural current for religious buildings.

The church plays a central role in the parish life of Ploubalay, as evidenced by the recent installation of works of contemporary art, mixing historical heritage and modern creation. Its location at the top of a hill makes it a visible landmark several kilometers away, strengthening its anchor in the landscape and local collective memory.

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