Chapelle de Locmaria-er-Hoët
MonumentHidden Treasure
Chapelle de Locmaria-er-Hoët, located in Landévant (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
- Landévant, Département 56, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.7580, -3.0895
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00091332
Aux confins du Morbihan, la chapelle de Locmaria-er-Hoët mêle gothique breton et mystère templier : ses arcades ogivales aux chapiteaux sculptés de têtes humaines et bestiales sont un chef-d'œuvre d'étrangeté médiévale.
History
Nestling in the Morbihan bocage, away from the tourist routes that criss-cross the Vannes region, the chapel of Locmaria-er-Hoët is one of those monuments that resist the gaze. Its T-shaped floor plan, its grey stone with a patina of age and its chevet pierced by a 16th-century window give it a silhouette that is both modest and singular, revealing its secrets only to those who take the time to cross the threshold. The interior is a veritable showcase for this Breton sanctuary. A double ogival archway, supported by two squat pillars, opens onto the side chapels in an architectural movement of rare elegance. It is the capitals that catch the eye: they are carved with men's faces with expressions captured in life and hybrid beasts, a medieval iconographic repertoire that blends faith with fantastic bestiary, reminiscent of the great illuminations of Breton monastic manuscripts. The chapel was a pilgrimage station for many years, and this popular liturgical use has left a palpable imprint on the space: you can imagine the processions here, the votive offerings hanging on the walls, the crowds of faithful kneeling under the vaults. Now listed as a Historic Monument since 1925, it is part of Brittany's rural heritage, which is said to be "local" and yet constitutes the very soul of a civilisation. The setting for the visit is an integral part of the experience: the monument is set in a landscape of hedgerows and sunken lanes characteristic of the Lorient region, a geography that reinforces the feeling of sacred isolation that is typical of Breton country chapels. Photographers and history buffs will find here a filtered light and an atmosphere of authenticity that busy sites can no longer offer.
Architecture
The chapel at Locmaria-er-Hoët has a T-shaped plan, a relatively unusual shape that immediately distinguishes the building from the single-nave rural chapels usually found in Morbihan. This plan, resulting from the addition of two side chapels to the main nave, creates a generous, hierarchical interior space, ideal for the processional liturgy of pilgrimages. The chevet, inherited from the 16th century, features a Gothic window whose infill still bears witness to the architectural care taken during this first construction phase. The walls, built of local granite as is customary in Breton country, have a characteristic grey-blue colour that varies from golden to almost black depending on the rain and the season. The most remarkable feature of the building is undoubtedly the double ogival archway inside, which rests on two square or octagonal pillars. Their capitals form a richly iconographic sculptural programme: human and animal heads are carved with an expressiveness typical of Breton sculpture in the late Middle Ages, combining realism and fantasy in a tradition inherited from the Gothic workshops that worked on the cathedrals of Quimper and Vannes. The presence of a door decorated with a Maltese cross is an exceptional epigraphic detail, a tangible sign of a past linked to military and religious orders.
Related Figures
Les Chevaliers du Temple (Templiers) — ordre militaro-religieux auquel la tradition locale attribue la construction ou la reconstruction de la chapelle vers 1531Les Hospitaliers de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem — héritiers des biens templiers après 1312, possibles commanditaires des travaux du XVIe siècleLes maîtres-maçons bretons du XVIIe siècle — artisans anonymes de la reconstruction de la nef en 1638Les sculpteurs de la double arcade — auteurs inconnus des chapiteaux à têtes d'hommes et de bêtes, représentants de la tradition gothique bretonneLes pèlerins de Locmaria — communauté dévote qui, génération après génération, entretint le sanctuaire et sa fonction de station de pèlerinage
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Chapelle de Locmaria-er-Hoët located?
Chapelle de Locmaria-er-Hoët is located in Landévant, Département 56 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Chapelle de Locmaria-er-Hoët built?
Chapelle de Locmaria-er-Hoët dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Chapelle de Locmaria-er-Hoët open to visitors?
Chapelle de Locmaria-er-Hoët is currently closed to visitors.
