Église Toussaints de Rennes, Baroque church in central Rennes, France
Église Toussaints is a Counter-Reformation baroque church on rue du Capitaine-Alfred-Dreyfus, south of the Vilaine in Rennes. Its ashlar stone facade rises in tiers, with two square towers under dark domed roofs flanking a rounded pediment and cross. A projecting portico with triangular pediment frames the arched doorway; above, blind niches and a large traceried window sit between cornices. It was built from 1624 to 1651 as the church of the Saint-Thomas college.
Construction began in 1624 under architect Étienne Martellange and continued over several decades. The church received historical monument classification in 1922, securing its official protected status.
The church serves as a parish center where locals gather for daily worship and religious celebrations. Its interior chapels show how the space evolved to meet the needs of different devotional practices over time.
The church is located on Rue Capitaine Alfred Dreyfus in central Rennes and is easy to reach on foot. Access is usually possible when services are not taking place, so it is best to check beforehand whether visits are welcome.
Until the 1970s, the only way into the right tribune above the choir, known as the "proviseur's tribune" and reserved for the lycée's administrative staff, was a passage from a courtyard of the school. The church was separated from the lycée in 1803.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,886 contributors worldwide.