RENNES
Although Rennes city centre was quite damaged by a tremendous fire in
1720, about 20 years after Claude François left for Paris,
there are some streets and houses that can show us the shape of the
town at the end of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th.
The Parliament, which unfortunately burned down in February of 1994,
is now rebuilt. It was the centre of Mr Poullart des Places
preoccupation, and the dream of his ambition for his son.
There are still some interesting places to visit that can evoke the
youth and the vocation of our first founder, Claude François.
Claude was born in 1679. At that time, Mr Poullart des Places had not
yet achieved an important function at Brittany's Parliament, but he
was a clever and rich businessman. He was living quite near the end
of Saint-Georges Street, close to the big palace, which was, at the
time, a Benedictine Abbey (St. Georges Abbey). Claude was baptised in
the church of this Abbey; this church has been erased since then. Rue
Saint-Georges has kept something of the shape of that time, with many
old houses. It was also known as Gowns Street, because many
magistrates of the Parliament made their accommodation here.
In 1685, when Claude was 6, the family moved to a new house, quite
near to the Parliament. In this administrative centre of Brittany,
Mr. Poullart des Places had got an important job - Juge-Garde des
Monnaies, that is, the guarantor for the money - in effect,
Brittany's financial control. Claude's family was now settled in
another parish, namely Saint-Germain, the former church of the old
Rennes' castle (14th or 15th century). There young Claude used to
come every Sunday with the family to attend mass, as well as to
complete his Christian education, which he got mostly from his
parents and from his preceptor. In this church of St Germain, in
1959, a slab was unveiled as a memorial for the 250th anniversary of
our founder's death. (Unfortunately the Superior General at the time,
Fr. Francis Griffin, was prevented from attending because of a car
crash shortly after leaving Paris.)
At this time, Claude met a very good and faithful friend, Louis-Marie
Grignion de Montfort, who was living with his uncle, a priest of the
nearby Saint-Sauveur parish. Louis-Marie was very found of Marian
devotion, and his uncle's parish church was a real centre of devotion
to the Blessed Virgin and a place of Marian pilgrimage. The statue
venerated in this church is called Notre-Dame des Miracles. Among the
many spiritual and physical benefits people received from the blessed
Lady, tradition recalls one of the most appreciated miracles - the
failure of English troops to conquer the city, when the population
was imploring Notre-Dame des Miracles for protection (15th century?).
Joseph Michel relates a story about Louis-Marie and Claude: "They
decided to create, with some of their fellow friends, a little
association to honour the very blessed Virgin". Louis-Marie was
5 years older than Claude.
In 1690, Claude being 11, his family moved house again just near to
the parish Saint-Sauveur, probably in the house named 'Maison du
Saint-Esprit'. At the same time, Claude entered St Thomas College, a
school of 3,000 students run by the Jesuits. As Louis-Marie was
already a student in this college, the two friends spent a lot of
time together, not only on the way to and fro, but also in front of
the Statue of the Blessed Lady, N.D. des Miracles. Soon Claude
Francois became a member of the 'Congregation', that is a circle of
well educated students that, under the guidance of a Jesuit, tried to
deepen their Christian faith and to live it concretely, taking care
of the poor, visiting the sick, giving alms, taking care of abandoned
children, and other such works of charity. Devotion to the Holy
Spirit and Marian spirituality were especially emphasised.
Spiritans like to stop for a moment in this Marian shrine of
Saint-Sauveur parish. Here Claude spent hours and hours praying with
would be Saint Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort, maturing their
vocations and preparing themselves to take their decisive choices.
Let us hear the witness of an historian of Louis Marie Grignion de
Montfort, the Abbé Chuberre:
"If he liked to visit Notre-Dame de la Paix in the
Carmelites' church, in the shadow of his college, or to kneel down at
the sanctuary of Notre-Dame of the Good News, it was indeed the
church of Saint-Sauveur which, the most often and with assiduous
regularity, received the visit of the child [that is Claude] and of
the young man. Twice a day, he met there the crowd of pilgrims, in
the morning when going to his lectures, and in the evening before
going back home... "
Chuberre speaks of prayers lasting for hours.
Just near to Maison du Saint-Esprit, Mr Poullart des Places owned
some houses and planned to build five new three-storey houses, with
stables and a place for horse-drawn vehicles for each of them. He
moved again to one of his houses, in the Cathedral's street, near to
the Bank, which was the Mint at the time. We know that this last move
happened in 1705 (marriage of Françoise-Claude, sister of
Claude). The family was then in the territory of another parish,
Saint-Etienne, which is now a theatre. Mrs des Places was buried in
this church in 1712 (3 years after her son's death) and Mr des Places
followed in 1720.
From the biography of Louis Marie de Montfort, by Charles Besnard
Mr Claude Francis Poullart des Places, to whom Holy Ghost Seminary
is indebted for its foundation, was descended from an ancient family
of Brittany in the diocese of Saint-Brieuc. He was born at Rennes on
the 27th of February 1679* , in the parish of St Peter near St George
and was baptised the same day. His mother consecrated him at once to
the Blessed Virgin and, till his seventh year, she dressed him in
white to honour her. He did his classical studies and philosophy at
the College of Rennes. It was there he entered into close friendship
with Louis de Montfort. They joined together to establish, along with
some of their fellow students, a little association for the purpose
of honouring the Blessed Virgin in a special way&ldots; His dominant
passion was to distinguish himself in the world and it must be
admitted that he had everything needed to excel in so doing. His
father wanted him to become a Councillor in the Breton Parliament and
his mother had so little concern over her son's inclinations that she
had already gone to the expense of making a magistrate's gown for
him. The moment he tried it on he felt an immediate distaste for the
magistracy&ldots; God illuminated him with a penetrating light, which
made it clear to him that he was not called to this state of life. He
took off his gown and openly declared that he would never again put
it on. At the same time, he asked his father's permission to go and
&ldots; enter the ecclesiastical state. This announcement fell like a
thunderbolt before the worthy father who had only one son to
perpetuate his name and take over his business. He used every means
to dissuade him. But when the young man remained steadfast, his
family offered no further objection to a vocation that was so clearly marked.
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to the site of the TransCanada Province of the Spiritans. We are a
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