Page 72 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Brittany

70  BRIT T AN Y REGION B Y REGION

In the 20th century, manu facturer Yves Rocher and
several important the Muséum National d’Histoire
companies chose it Naturelle have joined forces to
as their base. create the Végétarium de La
In the historic Gacilly. In this botanical garden,
centre, timber-framed over 1,000 species of plants are
houses dating from grown in their appropriate
the 15th, 16th and habitat, and their uses explained.
17th centuries can be St Just, 20 km (12 miles)
seen around Grande- north of Redon, is at the centre
Rue. In the harbour, of an area rich in megaliths,
houses with over- including the galleried grave
hanging upper storeys at Tréal and the Landes de
alternate with 17th- Cojoux, a long narrow ridge
and 18th-century with many megaliths. At
shipowners’ mansions. Lohéac, 15 km (9 miles) north
In Rue du Port, three of St Just, the Manoir de
17th-century salt l’Automobile contains a display
ware houses, now of over 400 collectors’ cars,
restored, can be seen including Rolls-Royces, Ferraris,
at Nos. 32, 36 and 40. Lamborghinis, Cadillacs and
The cloister of the Abbaye de St-Sauveur in Redon, The Musée de la pre-war models. There is also
dating from the 17th century Batellerie, on Quai a go-karting circuit.
Jean-Bart, illustrates
4 Redon the history of river navigation E Musée de la Batellerie
in Brittany through models Quai Jean-Bart. Tel (02) 99 72 30 95.
Road map E3. * 10,500. £ Open Apr–mid-Jun & mid-Sep–mid-
n Place de la République, (02) 99 71 and documents. Nov: Sat–Mon & Wed pm; mid-Jun–
06 04. ( Mon, Fri & Sat. _ Mois du The Abbaye de St-Sauveur, mid-Sep: daily. Closed mid-Nov–Mar.
Marron, Oct. ∑ tourisme-pays- the most important abbey in &
redon.com Brittany during the Middle Ages,
is a monument to the power R Abbaye de St-Sauveur
This town is located on the of the Benedictine order. Its Place St-Sauveur. Tel (02) 99 71 06 04.
borders of three départe ments: Romanesque belfry, built in 8 Jul–Aug: Mon & Thu. &
the Ille-et-Vilaine, the Loire- limestone and granite and set Y Végétarium de La Gacilly
Atlantique and the Morbihan. apart from the abbey itself, rises La Croix-des-Archers. Tel (02) 99 08 35
From the 9th century, it was in three open tiers. It is unique in 84. Open daily. 8 Jul–Aug (phone
renowned for its Benedictine Brittany. The Romanesque nave for details).
abbey, which was the most with wooden ceiling contrasts
important in Brittany. The with the choir, which has T Tréal Archaeological Site and
Cartulaire de Redon (see p43), quatrefoil columns and Gothic Landes de Cojoux
the earliest document in the chapels. The cloister was rebuilt Open all year. Tel (02) 99 72 69 25.
history of Brittany, was written in the 17th century. In 1622, 8 Jul–Aug: Tue & Fri (phone for
here. At the hub of roads Richelieu was an abbot here. details). &
and railways, and near the E Manoir de l’Automobile
con fluence of two rivers, Redon Environs Lohéac, on the D177. Tel (02) 99 34 02
developed a diverse economy Some 10 km (6 miles) north 32. Open Jul–Aug: daily; Sep–Jun:
and became an industrial centre. of Redon, the perfume Tue–Sun. &

Church Altarpieces
Reacting against Protestant austerity, the
Counter-Reformation in Brittany extolled
the Catholic faith through magnificent
church ornament. Altarpieces carved in wood
or stone in an extravagant Baroque style
graced the region’s churches. The town of La
Guerche-de-Bretagne is located in the heart
of a region in which artists from Laval
excelled in this field. Working with marble
from Laval and Le Mans, and with tufa from
the Loire, the sculptors Houdault, Corbineau
Detail of altarpiece and Langlois created consoles, pyramids,
at Domalain putti, foliate scrolls and garlands of fruit. Exhibits at the Manoir de l’Automobile
in Lohéac
For hotels and restaurants see pp224–5 and pp234–5

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