Chapelle de la Salle
MonumentHidden Treasure
Chapelle de la Salle, located in Lanmérin (Département 22), 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
- Lanmérin, Département 22, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.7373, -3.3671
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00089256
Nestling in Brittany's Trégor region, the 16th-century chapel of La Salle boasts a rare sculptural treasure trove: its fully carved runners, joists and panelling make up an exceptional timber-framed vault, listed as a Historic Monument since 1930.
History
In the heart of the Trégor bocage, in the commune of Lanmérin, the chapel of la Salle is one of those discreet monuments that only the discerning eye can recognise at first glance. A small rectangular building carved out of Brittany grey granite, it doesn't stand out for its size, but for the density and quality of what it contains. Its sober façade, enlivened by a squat bell tower on the west gable, barely hints at the riches that await inside. What really sets the de la Salle chapel apart is its remarkably coherent sculpted decoration. Whereas many Breton chapels of the 16th century are content with one-off ornaments, this one envelops the visitor in a continuous decorative programme: each eave, each entablature and each joint of the panelling bears its share of sculpture. Stylised foliage, geometric motifs, hybrid figures and chiselled fleurons follow one another without interruption, forming a panelled vault that transforms the interior space into a veritable book of stone and wood. The two portals are also worthy of attention. Their carefully chiselled finials bear witness to the hand of stonemasons who mastered the ornamental vocabulary of the Breton Renaissance, a singular style that blends early influences from Italy and Anjou with the late Flamboyant Gothic. The main door, opening onto the west gable, is elegantly framed, inviting visitors to cross the threshold into a timeless space. A visit to the Chapel de la Salle is like taking a contemplative break from the beaten track. The Côtes-d'Armor region has an abundance of rural chapels, but few can match this level of interior decorative coherence. Photographers and lovers of Gothic-Renaissance architecture will find plenty of food for thought here. The surrounding countryside, typical of the Trégor region, adds to the serene atmosphere, conducive to contemplation and aesthetic admiration.
Architecture
La Salle chapel is a rectangular building with a single nave, built in local granite according to the canons of 16th-century Breton rural religious architecture. Its simple plan - a single hall with no transept or separate chancel - is typical of seigniorial or family chapels of the period, which favoured a sober exterior in order to concentrate ornamental investment in the interior. The west gable is the focal point of the façade: it houses the main doorway, framed by finely worked mouldings and topped by a slender bell tower that gives the building its distinctive silhouette. A second doorway, cut into one of the side walls, bears witness to a liturgical practice where the distinction between men and women, lords and commoners - was still in force. Both portals are adorned with finely chiselled fleurons that are late flamboyant Gothic in style, but also reveal Renaissance influences in the delicacy of their treatment. The interior is dominated by a timber frame forming a panelled vault, a masterpiece of 16th-century Breton carpentry. This wooden structure, which replaced the stone vault in many of the region's rural chapels, is entirely covered in carvings here: the runners, tie-beams and joint caps of the panelling form a continuous decorative ensemble of extraordinary richness. The motifs - foliage scrolls, grotesque figures, emblematic scenes - follow one another without interruption, testifying to a coherent iconographic programme and accomplished technical mastery. The granite of the walls, cut into regular rubble, contrasts with the warmth of the carved wood to create an interior atmosphere that is both austere and sumptuous, deeply characteristic of Breton religious art of the Renaissance.
Related Figures
Anne de Bretagne — duchesse de Bretagne dont le règne (1488-1514) amorça l'union avec la France et le foisonnement architectural qui vit naître de nombreuses chapelles du TrégorSeigneur de la Salle — commanditaire probable de la chapelle au XVIe siècle, membre de la petite noblesse trégorroise dont le mécénat rendit possible cet édifice ornéMaîtres charpentiers-sculpteurs bretons — artisans anonymes des ateliers itinérants du Trégor qui taillèrent la charpente lambrissée et ses décors sculptésInspecteurs des Monuments Historiques (XIXe-XXe siècle) — érudits et architectes qui identifièrent la valeur patrimoniale de la chapelle et instruisirent son classement en 1930
Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Chapelle de la Salle located?
Chapelle de la Salle is located in Lanmérin, Département 22 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Chapelle de la Salle built?
Chapelle de la Salle dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Chapelle de la Salle open to visitors?
Chapelle de la Salle is currently closed to visitors.