Église Saint-Léonard de Fougères

Église Saint-Léonard de Fougères, also known in its local language as église Saint-Léonard de Fougères, is a captivating Catholic church nestled in the heart of Fougères, France. This historic edifice, perched in the upper town near the town hall and public garden, is not just a place of worship but a testament to centuries of architectural evolution and historical significance.

The History of Église Saint-Léonard de Fougères

The origins of Église Saint-Léonard de Fougères date back to the 12th century, when it was erected by the monks of Pontlevoy on a plateau overlooking the Château de Fougères. This foundation was a result of a dispute involving the nearby Saint-Nicolas church. Quickly, Saint-Léonard became the parish church of the newly developed borough of Fougères. The church underwent significant reconstruction from 1407 to 1636 in the Flamboyant Gothic style to accommodate the growing population of the city. During the French Revolution, the church was desecrated, leading to extensive renovations in the 19th century by architects Tourneux and Prioul. These renovations included the reorientation of the sanctuary, its enlargement, and the construction of a new main façade. On March 15, 1944, the church was listed in the supplementary inventory of historical monuments.

Architectural Marvels of Église Saint-Léonard de Fougères

Église Saint-Léonard de Fougères exemplifies the religious structures built in Upper Brittany at the end of the Middle Ages. The church, devoid of a transept and ending in a flat chevet, features a grand nave flanked by a series of chapels. Despite the varied construction times of these chapels, the church maintains uniform facades with multiple gables, creating a harmonious appearance. The north side, facing the town, boasts richer ornamentation with Renaissance galleries, gables adorned with foliage and crockets, and sculpted pinnacles and gargoyles. In contrast, the south side, once bordered by ramparts, is more austere.

The main façade, dating from the 19th century, replaces the original choir. This intricately designed stone façade, reminiscent of the grand Flamboyant Gothic facades of Île-de-France, uses kersanton stone to achieve a graceful result. The main entrance, with its openwork tympanum, is framed by buttresses topped with pinnacles, crowned by a gable. Above, a six-meter diameter rose window dominates the frontispiece. The intermediate level is topped by a balustrade adorned with leafy motifs, while two powerful buttresses with pinnacles and turrets balance the horizontal lines of the steps and galleries, contributing to the building's verticality.

The bell tower, constructed from local granite, contrasts with the grey kersanton stone. The base of the tower is the oldest part of the building, while the upper levels reflect Renaissance influences tempered by the challenging stonework. The tower, equipped with cannon-shaped gargoyles and a Renaissance gallery, culminates in a high belfry crowned by a dome with a lantern.

Inside Église Saint-Léonard de Fougères

The interior of Église Saint-Léonard de Fougères follows a simple basilical plan. The spacious nave, consisting of nine bays, is flanked by aisles, with the first bay forming a sort of narthex opening onto two chapels. The church resembles a hall church, with the main nave's roof raised higher than the vaults of the side naves during the 19th century renovations. The elevation features two levels: large arcades supporting a continuous arcade topped by a roof rhythmically divided by transverse arches. The nave's direct lighting is sparse, with the western master window and eastern rose window contributing, but it is primarily the windows of the aisles that provide indirect illumination to the central vessel.

Originally, the aisles consisted of a series of independent chapels. The 19th-century regularization of the building's plan significantly altered the perception of volumes, space distribution, and internal circulation. The aisles' vaulting with stone ribbed vaults and the decoration of the southern chapels (tabernacles and lavabo credences) still partially attest to the original arrangements. The liturgical space of the choir is distinguished by a triumphal arch at its entrance and the ribbed vaulting of the last two bays of the church. These elements date from the 19th century, which saw the reorientation of the building, with the main façade now facing the upper town.

The Stained Glass Windows

Most of the stained glass windows in Église Saint-Léonard de Fougères date from 1959. The bombing of the town in 1944 destroyed the original windows, and François Lorin, a master glassmaker from Chartres, created new windows depicting Breton saints or those venerated in the Middle Ages and the Ancien Régime. Despite this, the church retains some fragments of its 16th-century glasswork, including the oldest stained glass window in Brittany, dating from the 12th century and originating from the Abbey of Saint-Denis. These pieces, displayed in the chapels flanking the main façade, were classified on December 10, 1906.

The Organs and Artistic Treasures

The grand organs, built in 1881 by Louis Debierre, feature three manual keyboards and a pedalboard, with 37 registers for 34 real stops. Inaugurated on December 15, 1881, by César Franck and Eugène Gigout, the instrument was modified in 1902 to fit the curve of the main façade's rose window. The grand organs were restored from 1991 to 1994 and classified as an object for their instrumental part on December 21, 1990. Saint-Léonard also houses a choir organ by the same maker, with two manual keyboards, a pedalboard, and 10 registers for 8 real stops. This instrument, classified for its instrumental part on December 21, 1990, has five fixed and progressive combinations.

The church also contains notable statues and paintings, including a group depicting the education of the Virgin, a Flemish work from the first quarter of the 16th century, and a statue of Saint Margaret from the late 16th century. Two paintings by the Devéria brothers, classified as objects on October 25, 1919, adorn the church: the Assumption by Eugène Devéria (1835) and the Resurrection of Lazarus by Achille Devéria (1835). Originally, seven paintings by the Devéria brothers decorated the church, with four now housed in the convent of the Urbanists and one in the town hall's wedding hall.

Église Saint-Léonard de Fougères is not just a historical monument but a living testament to the rich cultural and religious heritage of Fougères. Its walls echo centuries of history, making it an unmissable destination for anyone visiting this charming French town.