While proximity to the Château des Ducs de Bretagne was a consideration, the presence of the castle was regarded as a disadvantage due to its political and strategic implications.

The tradition attributes the foundation of the convent to André III of Vitré, who acted to fulfill a vow of Duchess Alix de Thouars (1201–1221), influenced by Saint Dominic, the founder of the Order of Preachers.

[4] In approximately 1230, the first contingent of Dominicans was dispatched to the city, spearheaded by the Order's inaugural Master and Saint Dominic's successor, Jordan of Saxony.

[5] André de Vitré bestowed upon the religious community a private residence near the Sainte-Radegonde church (subsequently destroyed and located on the current Place Marc-Elder [fr], in front of the castle) and land in the region of Blain.

[7] The revenue generated from this real estate, in conjunction with contributions from feudal lords, including the Duke of Brittany, enabled the Jacobins to construct new facilities for their convent.

[2] André de Vitré's donation encompassed a plot spanning the present-day Rue des États [fr] and a section of the existing moat in front of the Jacobins' tower within the castle grounds.

[4] Additionally, he granted them the land between the Gallo-Roman and medieval enclosures, thereby enabling the monks to extend their gardens and construct new sections of the buildings.

[4] The edifice was consecrated by Bishop Henri IV the Bearded in December of the same year,[7] and subsequently by Jean de Malestroit on September 16, 1441.

[9] In 1499, Duchess Anne of Brittany[9] negotiated the exchange of the land on which the Notre-Dame de Pitié hospital stood, adjacent to Port Briand-Maillard,[7] for a plot that permitted the widening of the castle's moats.

Like that observed at the Cordeliers convent [fr], the Jacobins served as a venue for gatherings of public authorities, including the city council in 1493, the presidial court, and the Estates of Brittany, particularly in 1572 and 1651.

Similarly, the convent served as a meeting place for guilds throughout the 18th century, including those of barbers, hatmakers, ropemakers, secondhand dealers, blacksmiths, carpenters, and toolmakers.

[10] Instead of the expropriated buildings, the monks were compensated with a vacant lot along Port-Maillard, which they subsequently developed into a structure designed by architect Jean-Baptiste Ceineray [fr] in 1761.

During the Revolution, the monks were expelled,[13] and the 1835 cadastral map shows the former convent crossed by a new road, "Rue Paul-Dubois", and divided into lots, which were sold to private individuals.

[14] From June 1790 to January 1791, the recently established council of the Loire-Inférieure department convened in the Jacobins' expansive assembly hall.

[15] The church of the Jacobins, which had fallen into disuse or been repurposed since the French Revolution, was divided into two sections in 1868 during the opening of Rue de Strasbourg [fr].

The façade of the building situated on Place des Jacobins was razed in 1898, while the remaining vestiges, including the apse, were dismantled in 1904.

[20] The edifice exhibited a flat apse to the east, situated between two imposing buttresses that faced the current Rue des États [fr], opposite the castle.

[22] A dividing wall separated the nave from the choir, and two columns suggest that a portico or vestibule existed at the west entrance.

In contrast, the "Hostellerie des Jacobins", located in today's Impasse Joseph-Peignon [fr], was constructed as a separate structure to accommodate external guests while adhering to the convent rules.

In 1627, Jean Bernard, lord of La Turmelière, commissioned the construction of a chapel with the architect Guillaume Béliard, who designed the screen of the Carmelite convent.

At the southeast corner of the junction between Rue Paul-Dubois and Place des Jacobins [fr], a base of a pillar from the old façade still exists.

[18] The church was first drawn during the meeting of the Estates of Brittany in 1764, then by Hawke around 1810, and photographed, particularly before its final destruction in the early 20th century.