Chapelle et fontaine Notre-Dame des Fontaines
MonumentHidden Treasure
Chapelle et fontaine Notre-Dame des Fontaines, located in Daoulas (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
- Daoulas, Département 29, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.3631, -4.2662
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00089905
Tucked away in Finistère, this 16th-century chapel combines wooden lacework with a Gothic fountain dating from 1550, a discreet jewel of Breton Marian devotion.
History
In the heart of the commune of Daoulas, in deep Finistère, the chapel and fountain of Notre-Dame des Fontaines is one of those rural sanctuaries that concentrate, in a small space, all the fervour and expertise of Breton religious art of the Renaissance. Although modest in size, it is no less remarkable for the quality of its decoration and the coherence of its architectural ensemble, where the religious building and sacred fountain form an inseparable whole. What immediately sets the monument apart is its wooden façade with balustrades, a rare feature in the Breton chapel landscape where stone almost dominates. This openwork wall lets the light filter through in an almost immaterial way, creating an atmosphere of luminous contemplation that contrasts with the severity of the surrounding granite. Inside, sculpted friezes punctuate the space and bear witness to the care taken by local craftsmen in creating sacred ornamentation. The fountain, contemporary with the chapel, is the exterior showcase. Built in 1550, according to the inscription on it, it features a niche crowned by four Gothic pinnacles and a pool for ritual ablutions. These healing and spiritual fountains are a deeply rooted tradition in Breton religious culture, and the one at Daoulas is a particularly well-preserved example. A visit to this site invites you to stroll slowly and attentively, between the sculpted details of the chapel and the mineral serenity of the fountain. The attentive visitor will note the restoration work carried out in 1847 and 1885, which is inscribed in the stone, reminding us of the attachment of successive generations to this local heritage. A place for lovers of sacred art, vernacular architecture and cultural pilgrimage in Brittany.
Architecture
The architectural ensemble comprises two distinct but complementary elements: the chapel itself and the adjacent fountain. The chapel has a simple layout, typical of 16th-century Breton rural oratories, with a stone masonry apse and glazed sides that diffuse soft light into the sanctuary. The most original feature is the wooden clerestory façade, adorned with turned balusters, a real curiosity in a context where Breton granite imposes its law on almost all the religious buildings in the region. This light, openwork façade is reminiscent of the Renaissance-style rood screens and panelling that became widespread in Brittany during the 16th century. Inside, the sculpted frieze decoration enlivens the walls and gives the space a richness of ornament that is unexpected for a building of this size. These motifs, probably inspired by plants and geometry, bear witness to the skills of local sculptors trained in the new decorative grammars of the Renaissance. The fountain, erected in 1550, adopts the late Gothic vocabulary typical of Breton religious buildings of the period, which had long been impervious to new influences from Italy. It consists of a niche framed by four slender pinnacles and a pool below designed to collect sacred water. This type of fountain-oratory, common in Lower Brittany, combines a spiritual function with a practical one, as the spring water is reputed to be beneficial. The whole structure forms a coherent architectural whole, designed to welcome pilgrims and celebrate pardons.
Related Figures
Les maîtres maçons anonymes de Daoulas (XVIe siècle), artisans de la chapelle et de la fontaineLes charpentiers et menuisiers bretons (XVIe siècle), auteurs de la remarquable façade en bois à claire-voieLes fidèles de la paroisse de Daoulas (XIXe siècle), acteurs des restaurations de 1847 et 1885Les inspecteurs des Monuments Historiques (1926), à l'origine de l'inscription protectrice de l'édifice
Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Chapelle et fontaine Notre-Dame des Fontaines located?
Chapelle et fontaine Notre-Dame des Fontaines is located in Daoulas, Département 29 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Chapelle et fontaine Notre-Dame des Fontaines built?
Chapelle et fontaine Notre-Dame des Fontaines dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Chapelle et fontaine Notre-Dame des Fontaines open to visitors?
Chapelle et fontaine Notre-Dame des Fontaines is currently closed to visitors.