Calvaire de la Croix-de-Cohazé
MonumentHidden Treasure
Calvaire de la Croix-de-Cohazé, located in Saint-Thuriau (Département 56), is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- Saint-Thuriau, Département 56, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.0219, -2.9737
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00091721
Standing in the heart of the Breton village of Cohazé, this monumental 16th-century calvary combines a sculpted granite shaft, a canopy of columns and a double iconography - Christ on the Cross and the Virgin and Child - in a sober Breton elegance.
History
To the south of the chapel at Cohazé, in the discreet Morbihan countryside, stands one of the granite calvaries that dot the Breton landscape like so many stone sentinels. The Croix-de-Cohazé calvary is a remarkable example of Breton popular piety in the 16th century, combining architectural rigour and rich iconography in an intimate format that contrasts with the large monumental compositions of Guimiliau or Pleyben. What sets this calvary apart from so many other wayside crosses is the sophistication of its design. Far from being a simple cross planted in the ground, it is built around a complete sculptural programme: a square base raised by three steps invites visitors to approach ritually, as if symbolically climbing the steps of a prayer. The carefully carved granite shaft extends towards an ornamental capital from which rises a canopy with four exposed columns - a rare architectural feature on this scale - housing the two sculpted sides of the work. The visit is one of meditation and contemplation. On the west side, Christ on the Cross unfolds his message of redemption in the oblique light of the setting sun, while on the east side, the Virgin and Child offers an image of tenderness and sacred maternity. This theological duality - Passion and Incarnation - on the same monument is characteristic of Breton devotion during the Renaissance, which liked to recall simultaneously the mystery of birth and that of sacrifice. The bucolic setting of Saint-Thuriau, a commune nestling in the Blavet valley, reinforces the melancholy and contemplative atmosphere that envelops this monument. Photographers will particularly appreciate the play of low-angled light that brings out the relief of the granite at sunrise or sunset, revealing the virtuosity of an anonymous stonemason who had assimilated the influences of the Peninsular Renaissance without abandoning the Breton soul of his art.
Architecture
The architectural composition of the Calvary at Croix-de-Cohazé is divided into three levels, demonstrating a meticulous formal approach that is unusual for a rural devotional monument. At the base, a square plinth raised by three steps of carved granite literally and symbolically forms the foundation of the monument: these steps, which echo the tradition of Golgotha, invite the faithful to approach in a movement of progressive elevation, both physical and spiritual. This basic feature is common to quality Breton calvaries, but here it is executed with a geometric regularity that denotes the care taken with the whole. The monolithic shaft of local granite, a material that is almost exclusive to Breton monumental sculpture because of its resistance to the Atlantic weather and its abundance in the Armorican subsoil, develops towards a transitional capital that supports the most remarkable architectural feature of the monument: a canopy with four exposed columns. This element, reminiscent of the baldachins of flamboyant Gothic architecture and the aediculae of outdoor statuary, gives the calvary a structural elegance that is rare in wayside crosses. The finely-worked columns underline the artistic ambition of the commission and distinguish the work from the standard production. Beneath this protective canopy are the two sculpted reliefs that form the iconographic heart of the monument. On the main face, Christ on the Cross is treated in accordance with the conventions of Breton Renaissance sculpture: a hieratic body, draped in perizonium, an expression combining suffering and serenity. On the reverse, the Virgin and Child - a major subject of devotion in 16th-century Brittany - offers a tender counterpoint. The duality of these two representations on the same architectural support is characteristic of the iconographic programme of calvaries from this period and this region.
Related Figures
Artisan tailleur de pierre morbihannais anonyme (XVIe siècle) — sculpteur présumé du calvaireCommanditaires paroissiaux de Cohazé (XVIe siècle) — paroissiens ou confrérie locale à l'origine de l'érection du monumentPrédicateurs franciscains de Bretagne (XVIe siècle) — promoteurs du renouveau de la dévotion populaire à l'origine des calvaires bretonsAnne de Bretagne (1477-1514) — dont le règne incarna l'apogée de la piété bretonne et l'essor de la sculpture religieuse en graniteInspecteurs des Monuments Historiques (années 1930) — acteurs de la protection officielle du calvaire en 1933
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Calvaire de la Croix-de-Cohazé located?
Calvaire de la Croix-de-Cohazé is located in Saint-Thuriau, Département 56 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Calvaire de la Croix-de-Cohazé built?
Calvaire de la Croix-de-Cohazé dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Calvaire de la Croix-de-Cohazé open to visitors?
Calvaire de la Croix-de-Cohazé is currently closed to visitors.
