Located in Ille-et-Vilaine, about twenty kilometers east of Rennes, Châteaugiron experienced, in ten years, a very strong economic and demographic development and benefits from a certain number of assets: proximity to the Rennes agglomeration, architecture of character, green landscape, diversity of services and shops which seduces more and more the city population and the visitors who linger there. Châteaugiron makes every effort to enhance its heritage and make it live throughout the year.
This small medieval town is remarkable for its castle, its half-timbered houses, its religious heritage, its past manicure and the small heritage to which one must go in search to discover the treasures. Châteaugiron is labeled "Small City of Character" since 1978. Through this label, the city wants to enhance and protect a rich and varied heritage. At the foot of the castle, at the bend of a street, Châteaugiron reveals its treasures of architecture and history: from the castle to half-timbered houses, through Les Halles, the church, the Priory Holy Cross and well more...
This name comes from the proper Roman name "occius". The parish is mentioned only in 1347. The manor house of Ossé was the Plessis (plesse or interlace hedge which refers to a defensive site) and belonged to the barony of Châteaugiron. The Saint-Sulpice church dates from the 16th and 17th centuries. It houses two beautiful altars Louis XIII painted wood. At the southern limit of Ossé, passes the old path Saulniers. In December 2009, a tomb containing human bones, dated from the Merovingian period, was discovered.
To reach Saint-Aubin-du-Pavail, head for La Guerche-de-Bretagne and two kilometers from Châteaugiron, turn right to arrive in a peaceful village. Arriving at the town center, you see immediately the Romanesque church, dedicated to Saint Aubin, Bishop of Angers (470-550), born in Brittany, in the diocese of Vannes. The village owes its name to this bishop but also paved the Gallo-Roman way that crossed the town and that was called "Pavail".
Built according to a plan in Latin cross, the church displays, in various places, several dates as 1607, 1618 and 1620. There are also three altarpieces including one in the choir, dating from 1643. This church has been the subject of numerous works in the nineteenth century. The architect Auguste Marchand had the nave enlarged and the bell-tower built in 1853 while two sacristies were built in 1863 and 1864. In 1933, restoration work on the bell tower was undertaken by the architect Laloy, a renovation swept at the late twentieth century. On January 2, 1998, a storm to decorate the oxen blew over the region: the steeple of Saint-Aubin-du-Pavail was beheaded and fell at the foot of the church, like that of Châteaugiron! The repair was done in record time and the church found its steeple in the year.
