Chapelle de la Madeleine
MonumentHidden Treasure
Chapelle de la Madeleine, located in Penmarch (Département 29), 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
- Penmarch, Département 29, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.8254, -4.3230
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00090148
Remnant of a former medieval leper colony in Penmarch, the chapel of la Madeleine features an elegant Breton bell tower dating from the 15th and 16th centuries, a poignant reminder of a past marked by faith and exclusion.
History
In the heart of the Bigouden region, at the tip of Finistère, the Chapelle de la Madeleine stands like a fragment of eternity in the coastal landscape of Penmarch. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1956, it belongs to the discreet but moving group of buildings that Brittany has managed to preserve over the centuries, far from the most popular tourist routes. What immediately sets the chapel apart is that it is part of a complex of former leprosaria - the care and isolation establishments that dotted the medieval roads. The Madeleine, patron saint of pilgrims and outcasts, was traditionally dedicated to the protection of these fragile communities, set apart from the towns but never completely abandoned by Christian mercy. The chapel therefore had not only a liturgical function, but also a rare symbolic and human significance. The building is revealed to visitors in all its Breton Gothic sobriety. The oldest part, the west side, retains the memory of the original chapel, while the east apse bears witness to a carefully thought-out extension at the turn of the 16th century. The openwork bell tower that crowns the west gable, accessible via external staircases carved into the stone, is the monument's centrepiece: slender, openwork and finished with a slender spire, it offers a recognisable silhouette that photographers and lovers of Breton heritage are particularly fond of. A visit to the Chapelle de la Madeleine takes you back to medieval Penmarch, when this port town was one of the most prosperous in Brittany, before wars and storms dimmed its shine. The surrounding setting, windswept by the Atlantic and often silent, reinforces this feeling of an intimate encounter with history.
Architecture
The Madeleine chapel has an elongated plan with a single nave, typical of rural Breton chapels of the 15th and 16th centuries, no transept, and an apse with a flat or slightly polygonal chevet in the regional Gothic tradition. The building is clearly made up of two construction phases, as can be seen in the elevation: the older, western part has the compact proportions and sober modenature of 15th-century Breton Gothic, while the upper part and the eastern section reveal 16th-century contributions, with more careful treatment of the surrounds and openings. The most striking feature of the exterior is undoubtedly the openwork bell tower-arch surmounting the western gable. This "open wall bell tower" rises above the ridge and is punctuated by arched or three-lobed openings for the bells, ending in a finely carved stone spire. This type of bell tower, very common in Finistère and the Bigouden region, is one of the hallmarks of Breton religious architecture in the late Middle Ages. The originality of La Madeleine lies in the fact that access to the bell tower is via external stone staircases, an architectural solution that avoids encroaching on the interior space of the nave and gives the building a picturesque, lively silhouette. The materials used are typical of local buildings: Brittany granite, which is robust and has a slightly bluish grey tinge, dominates all the masonry. The interior, sober and uncluttered in keeping with the style of chapels of this type, nevertheless offers well-balanced proportions, bathed in light filtered through bays with Gothic infill. The whole is a coherent and authentic example of Breton sacred architecture at the crossroads of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
Related Figures
Sainte Marie-Madeleine — patronne des léproseries médiévales et figure tutélaire de la chapelleLa Fontenelle (Guy Eder de La Fontenelle) — chef de bande qui ravagea Penmarch en 1595, affectant l'ensemble du patrimoine localAutorités ecclésiastiques du diocèse de Cornouaille — commanditaires probables des campagnes de construction aux XVe et XVIe sièclesArtisans et tailleurs de pierre bigoudens — maîtres d'œuvre anonymes du clocher à jour et des escaliers extérieurs
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Chapelle de la Madeleine located?
Chapelle de la Madeleine is located in Penmarch, Département 29 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Chapelle de la Madeleine built?
Chapelle de la Madeleine dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Chapelle de la Madeleine open to visitors?
Chapelle de la Madeleine is currently closed to visitors.