La Guerche-de-Bretagne

A PETITE CITÉ DE CARACTÈRE® ON THE BORDERS OF BRITTANY

La Guerche-de-Bretagne lies south of Vitré on the border of the regions of Brittany and Pays de la Loire. This strategic position on the Brittany Marches promoted trade from the Middle Ages onwards.

A historic market since 1121

The weekly market at La Guerche-de-Bretagne is held every Tuesday morning in the centre of the medieval village. It remains one of the largest in France and is one of the three ‘must-see’ markets of Ille-et-Vilaine. The tradition of markets in La Guerche goes back to 1121!

The lively market even gave rise to a popular saying : « They’ve got everything there, just like at La Guerche. » It is spread hroughout the town from the Place Charles de Gaulle which is reserved for food stalls. Each street has a speciality: poultry on the Place du Guesclin, animal and plant sales on the Champ du Foire, fabrics on the Grand Mail, etc.

The medieval centre and its half-timbered houses

The main square has beautifully-preserved rows of 16th and 17th century half-timbered houses with arcades, beneath which traders used to sell their produce. These are perfect illustrations of the commercial prosperity of the 16th – 18th centuries which lingers on in the shops of today. In the centre of the square a fountain has replaced the old well which was the unique source of water during the great drought lasting 16 months from 1766-67.

The vast wooden market hall of yesteryear has been replaced by a neo-classical building with arches called « La Salorge » as a reminder of the salt once sold there. But the town was also well-known in the 17th and 18th centuries for woollen cloth and hemp sailcloth which was sold in the market hall.

The ramparts and gates around the historic centre mostly date from the 13th century. The old castle of the Seigneurs de La Guerche was already in ruins at the end of the Middle Ages and all that remains today is the ‘motte’ (mound) on which a 12th century keep once stood.

The nearby Allée des Tanneurs (Tanners Lane) leading to the Jardin du Matz (garden) shows that the age-old activity of tanning took place in the village. Here, just like in Montfort-sur-Meu, tanners settled near a river on the edge of the village.

Notre-Dame-de-la-Guerche Basilica

Make the most of being in the charming character village to visit the basilica. Located at the heart of the medieval centre, the Gothic building has an amazingly high bell tower with a spire inspired by Quimper cathedral. The 75 metre high spire was built of Caën stone in the 19th century on the granite bell-tower which marks the entrance to the basilica.

The former collegiate church, which was consecrated as a basilica in 1951, was originally the castle chapel, founded in 1206 by Guillaume II de La Guerche whose recumbent statue lies behind the altar. The magnificent stained-glass windows from the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries which adorn the southern side aisle are listed historic monuments and figure among the finest examples in Ille-et-Vilaine. The wooden choir stalls carved in Renaissance style are also well worth a look.

The « château », Place Duguesclin

Close to the basilica stands an astonishing residence that looks like a small « château ». Built in the 19th century, it features a red brick facade with limestone windows and elegant corner turrets.