Ancien prieuré de Dinard
AbbeyHidden Treasure
Ancien prieuré de Dinard, located in Dinard (Département 35), is a medieval landmark built in the Middle Ages. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- Abbey
- Period
- Medieval (11th-15th century)
- Location
- Dinard, Département 35, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.6254, -2.0540
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00090543
In the heart of Dinard, the ruins of this 14th-century priory house striking armorial bearings of the founders of Montfort - a rare example of Breton medieval funerary sculpture.
History
Hidden away in the urban fabric of Dinard, the former priory founded in the early 14th century is one of the most precious medieval relics on the Emerald Coast. Far from the epinal image of a Victorian seaside resort, this site transports visitors to a much older Brittany, one of lords in armour and cloistered chapels where the stone still speaks. What makes this monument truly singular are its enfeux - the funerary niches built into the walls of the ruined chapel - which house the tombs of the de Montfort family, its founders. Beneath soberly elegant three-lobed arches, the recumbent figures rest in solemn immobility: chiselled armour, flanking swords, crossed gauntlets and armoured shields. Four cherubs kneel at the corners of each tomb to watch over the eternal sleep of the knights, adding a touch of mystical tenderness to the whole. A visit to these ruins is a meditative and intimate experience, a far cry from mass tourism. The attentive visitor can see the quality of the work of 14th-century Breton stonemasons: the details of the sculpted headdresses - coiled hair resting on a cushion - or the baron's tiaras adorning the heads reveal a refined funerary art, intent on affirming the rank and piety of its patrons. The surrounding environment, with its sea and seaside architecture, creates a striking contrast that heightens the emotional impact of the site. These remains, listed as Historic Monuments since 1942, are a reminder that Dinard has a memory that goes back much further than its Belle Époque villas and internationally-renowned beaches.
Architecture
The former priory at Dinard is a late flamboyant Breton Gothic building in its most sober form, a direct descendant of the duchy's 14th-century building traditions. The chapel, now in partial ruins, had an elongated east-west plan, typical of monastic cloister chapels of this period and region. The materials used were probably local granite, the preferred stone of Breton builders, known for its strength but also for the difficulty it poses for sculptors' chisels - which makes the finesse of the surviving funerary works all the more remarkable. The most precious architectural features are undoubtedly the vaults built into the walls of the chapel. Each niche is surmounted by a three-lobed arch - a quintessential Gothic motif, combining decorative grace with Trinitarian symbolism - framing the recumbent figures in a balanced, hieratic composition. The funerary statues, carved with remarkable attention to detail, show the two knights in full war dress: hinged armour, swords at their sides, gauntlets crossed over their chests and armoured shields to identify the deceased. The heads, topped with baronial tortils, rest on sculpted cushions with delicately coiled hair, in keeping with the aristocratic funerary iconography widespread in the medieval West in the 14th century. At the four corners of each tomb, small kneeling angels - the "weeping angels" or weepers - complete the ensemble in a tradition common to the great royal and princely tombs of the period.
Related Figures
Olivier de Montfort — co-fondateur du prieuré en 1324, chevalier breton dont le gisant armé est conservé dans la chapelle ruinéeGeoffroy de Montfort — frère d'Olivier et co-fondateur, inhumé dans le même enfeu, immortalisé par un gisant sculpté d'une grande finesseArtisans tailleurs de pierre bretons du XIVe siècle — sculpteurs anonymes à qui l'on doit les gisants armoriés et les arcatures trilobées des enfeux
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Ancien prieuré de Dinard located?
Ancien prieuré de Dinard is located in Dinard, Département 35 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Ancien prieuré de Dinard built?
Ancien prieuré de Dinard dates back to a period built in the Middle Ages (11th-15th century).
Is Ancien prieuré de Dinard open to visitors?
Ancien prieuré de Dinard is currently closed to visitors.