RENNES a town of France, formerly the capital of Brittany and now the chief town of the department of Ille-et-Yilaine, is situated at the meeting of the Ille and the Vilaine and at the junction of several lines of railway connecting it with Paris (232 miles east-north-east), St Malo (51 miles north), Brest (147 west-north-west), Ac. It is the seat of an archbishop and the headquarters of the 10th corps d’armée (with a large arsenal and barracks). For the most part rebuilt on a regular plan since the seven days’ fire of 1720, the town is rendered more monotonous by the houses being of dark-coloured granite and nearly all after the same type. Of trade and industry there is little trace in the dull and deserted streets. The main portion of the old town occupies a hill which looks down on the confluence of the streams. Along the north side flows the Vilaine in a deep hollow bordered with quays and crossed by four bridges leading to the new town near the railway station. The canalized Ille forms the first section of the Ille and Ranee Canal which unites St Malo to Rennes, and then descends the Vilaine to Redon, and the canal from Nantes to Brest. The cathedral of Rennes is rebuilt in a pseudo-ionic style on the site of two churches dating originally from the 4th century. The archbishop’s palace occupies in part the site of the abbey of St Melaine, whose church is the sole specimen in the town of 11-13th century architecture. A colossal statue of the Virgin was placed above the dome of this church in 1867. In the palace is preserved the old altar screen from the cathedral, perhaps the finest in all France. The Mordelaise Gate, by which the dukes and bishops used to make their state entry into the town, is a curious example of 15th century architecture, and accidentally ...preserves a Latin inscription of the 3d century, a dedication by the Redones to the emperor Gordianus. Architecturally the finest building in the town is the old parliament house (now the court-house), designed by Jacques Debrosse in the 17th century, and decorated with statues of legal celebrities, carved work, and paintings by Coypel and Jouvenet. The town-house was erected in the first half of the 18th century by Gabriel, the architect· of the Place de la Concorde in Paris. In the modern building occupied by the faculties of law, science, and literature there are scientific collections of various kinds, and one of the finest picture galleries outside of Paris, with pieces by Paul Veronese, Tintoretto, Vandyck, Rembrandt, Rubens, Ac., and sketches by Michelangelo, Titian, and other great masters. The town library contains 50,000 volumes and 220 MSS.; and the municipal archives are of primary importance for the history of Brittany. The Promenade du Thabor, with a statue of Duguesclin, the adjoining botanic gardens, the Promenade de la Motte a little lower down, and the Mail, a fine avenue planted in 1657 by the duke of Chaulnes, add greatly to the beauty of Rennes. About 2 miles from the town is the castle of La Prévalaye. The local industries are varied but not extensive. The population of the town in 1881 numbered 57,430; that of the commune 60,974.
Rennes, the chief city of the Redones, was formerly (like some other places in Gaul) called Condate (hence Condat, Condé), probably from its position at the confluence of two streams. Under the Roman empire it was included in Lugdunensis Tertia, and became the centre of various Roman roads still recognizable in the vicinity. The name Urbs Rubra given to it in the oldest chroniclers is explained by the bands of red brick still found in the foundations of its first circuit of walls. In 843 a.d. Nornenoé, Charles the Bald’s lieutenant, declared himself independent and took the title of king of the Bretons; but the country was afterwards torn to pieces by the struggles of the various counts who wished to make themselves masters of it and by the invasions of the Normans. About the close of the 10th century Conan le Tort, count of Rennes, subdued the whole province, and it was his son and successor Geoffrey who first took the title duke of Brittany (q. v. ). It was at Rennes the dukes were crowned, and before entering the city by the Mordelaise Gate they had to swear to preserve the privileges of the church, the nobles, and the commons of Brittany. During the War of Succession the city was captured by Jean de Montfort in 1341, by Charles of Blois in 1342, and again by Jean de Montfort. During the troubles of the League the duke of Mercoeur attempted to make himself independent at Rennes (1589), but his scheme was defeated by the loyalty of the local parliament. Henry IV. entered the city in state on May 9, 1598. An insurrection at Rennes caused by the taxes imposed by Louis XIV., in spite of the advice of the parliament, was cruelly suppressed by the duke of Chaulnes, governor of the province. The parliament was banished to Vannes till 1689, and the inhabitants crushed with forfeits and in great numbers put to death. The fire of 1720 which destroyed eight hundred houses completed the ruin of the town. During the last year of the monarchy Rennes more than once resisted the imposition of taxes not authorized by the states of Brittany. In 1765 the celebrated procureur-général La Chalotais was imprisoned, and in 1788 the parliament was suspended from May to October. At the commencement of the Revolution Rennes was again the scene of bloodshed caused by the discussion about doubling the third estate for the convocation of the states-general. On January 26, 1789, the students, with Moreau (afterwards general) at their head, broke into the hall where the nobles satin council in defiance of the decree of suspension issued against them by the Government. During the Reign of Terror Rennes suffered less than Nantes, partly through the courage and uprightness of the mayor Leperdit. It was soon afterwards the centre of the operations of the republican army against La Vendée. After the 10 th of Brumaire it was accused of royalism and put to ransom by Brune. Besides La Chalotais, Gerbier the advocate and Admiral De la Motte-Picquet were born at Rennes.
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