Chapelle de la Sainte-Trinité
MonumentHidden Treasure
Chapelle de la Sainte-Trinité, located in Lanvénégen (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
- Lanvénégen, Département 56, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.9915, -3.5715
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00091353
Joyau discret du Morbihan, la chapelle de la Sainte-Trinité de Lanvénégen déploie un plan en croix latine couronné d'un élégant clocheton ajouré, tandis que ses charpentes sculptées d'anges et de créatures fantastiques révèlent tout le génie des tailleurs de pierre bretons du XVIIe siècle.
History
Nestling in the heart of the Faouët region, in the inland Morbihan region that is often overlooked by the main tourist routes, the Sainte-Trinité chapel in Lanvénégen is one of those discreet buildings that generously rewards curious travellers. Built in the first quarter of the 17th century, it is one of a remarkable flowering of Breton rural chapels that testify, better than any words, to the religious fervour and artistic vitality of a region at the height of its architectural expression. What immediately sets the chapel apart is its openwork stone bell tower, rising up from the western gable with a lightness that seems to defy the surrounding granite mass. This mineral lacework, typical of Breton architectural vocabulary, speaks to the Armorican sky and gives the building an instantly recognisable silhouette in the bocage landscape. Inside, it's the roof structure that catches the eye: the meticulously carved joists and runners display a fantastic bestiary combining angel heads with rounded cheeks and animal creatures with striking expressions, a veritable wooden encyclopaedia of the beliefs and symbols of rural Brittany. The visit is as much a meditation as an artistic discovery. The interior space is intimate and contemplative, inviting you to look up at the framework populated by sculpted figures that seem to have been watching over the faithful for four centuries. The light filtering through the windows illuminates the stone differently at different times of the day, revealing in turn the texture of the local granite and the fine grain of the woodwork. The setting outside the chapel is an integral part of the experience: the traditional parish cemetery that surrounds the chapel, the surrounding sunken lanes and the silence punctuated by the wind in the trees create a picture of rare authenticity. This is a far cry from the crowds and standardised tourist facilities - a living heritage, preserved for what it is, not for what we want it to be.
Architecture
The Holy Trinity chapel has a Latin cross floor plan, an architectural form that reflects a certain ambition for a rural building of this size. This layout, with a main nave extended by a choir and two transept arms, makes it possible to organise the liturgical space in a hierarchical manner, while giving the building its characteristic cross-shaped silhouette, visible from the surrounding roads. The western gable is crowned by an openwork stone bell tower, a distinctive feature of great technical elegance: carved from local granite, this openwork bell tower - an economical alternative to the tower bell tower - filters the light and visually lightens the mass of the façade, in keeping with a well-established tradition in 17th-century Breton religious architecture. The interior reveals the richness of the exposed roof timbers, a veritable open-air work of art. The entraits - the horizontal pieces that join the two sides of the roof - and the sablières - the longitudinal beams on which the rafters rest - are adorned with a coherent sculptural programme combining angel heads with expressive features and hybrid animal figures, combining realism and fantasy in a medieval iconographic tradition that was still very much alive in the early 17th century. This woody bestiary, carved with remarkable precision, is the main heritage interest of the building and in itself justifies a diversion. The materials used are those of the region: Breton granite for the masonry, oak for the carved roof frame, in a sober and durable construction economy that explains the relatively good conservation of the whole.
Related Figures
Artisans charpentiers-sculpteurs bretons du début du XVIIe siècle, auteurs des entraits et sablières sculptésMembres de la confrérie paroissiale de Lanvénégen, commanditaires présumés de l'édificeFamilles nobles du pays de Faouët, mécènes possibles de la constructionCurés desservants de la paroisse de Lanvénégen aux XVIIe et XVIIIe sièclesConservateurs des Monuments historiques du Morbihan, acteurs de l'inscription de 1948
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Chapelle de la Sainte-Trinité located?
Chapelle de la Sainte-Trinité is located in Lanvénégen, Département 56 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Chapelle de la Sainte-Trinité built?
Chapelle de la Sainte-Trinité dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Chapelle de la Sainte-Trinité open to visitors?
Chapelle de la Sainte-Trinité is currently closed to visitors.
