Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Lannelou
MonumentHidden Treasure
Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Lannelou, located in Montauban-de-Bretagne (Département 35), 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
- Montauban-de-Bretagne, Département 35, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.2228, -2.1053
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00090634
Nichée dans le bocage breton, cette chapelle gothique du XVe siècle étonne par ses portes ornées de choux frisés, ses fresques médiévales et sa charpente sculptée de masques énigmatiques.
History
In the heart of the Montauban-de-Bretagne region, the Notre-Dame-de-Lannelou chapel rises out of the bocage with the discretion of buildings that time has left untouched. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1942, it belongs to the constellation of Breton frairienne chapels that once marked the community life of rural parishes, places that were both sacred and gathering places, where votive festivals and pilgrimages marked the liturgical year. What immediately distinguishes Lannelou is the superimposition of two architectural timeframes that are visible to the naked eye. The choir, more compact and sober, seems to emerge from a past that predates the great Gothic campaign of the 15th century, as if an older Romanesque building had been integrated and then enveloped by the new edifice. This stratification, far from being a fault, gives the chapel a historical depth that is rare for such a modest sanctuary. The portals are the real highlight of the visit. The one on the western façade, with its semi-circular arch crowned by a pointed arch with several voussoirs, is decorated with unexpected finesse: slender pinnacles and an archivolt decorated with curly cabbages - the exuberant plant motifs so characteristic of the flamboyant Breton Gothic style. A twin doorway opens onto the south façade, confirming the particular care taken with the exterior ornamentation despite the modest size of the building. Inside, the atmosphere changes radically. The eye naturally wanders up to the roof timbers, where carved wooden heads rest on corbels adorned with human masks - grimacing or pensive faces that have been staring at visitors for six centuries. On the tympanums of the pointed arches above the altars, vestiges of medieval frescoes still stand the test of time, discreet witnesses to an iconographic programme that is now incomplete but still moving. The chapel remains a living place of pilgrimage, anchored in the collective memory of the region. Photographers, lovers of medieval art and walkers in search of authenticity all find their reward here: the tranquil beauty of an unspoilt heritage, far from the beaten tourist track.
Architecture
The Notre-Dame-de-Lannelou chapel has a simple rectangular plan, typical of Breton frairien chapels, resulting from the juxtaposition of two buildings from different periods. The narrower, more austere east chancel preserves vestiges of an earlier Romanesque construction, identifiable by the quality of its stonework and the modenature of certain elements. The nave, which is wider, was built in the second half of the 15th century in the flamboyant Gothic style that prevailed in Brittany at the time. At the eastern end, a small bell tower topped by a gable roof - a sober stone bell tower - gives the building its unostentatious silhouette. The exterior ornamentation is of remarkable quality for a building of this scale. The two portals - the west and south - have an identical composition: a semi-circular arch set within a pointed arch with several tapering arches, framed by pinnacles and crowned by an archivolt richly decorated with curly cabbages, the plant motif with curly leaves emblematic of Breton Gothic architecture. The window on the south facade, a third-pointed window with two mullions, soberly illuminates the interior while contributing to the decorative balance of the whole. The interior reveals a wooden framework of great plastic richness: the horizontal tie-beams end in sculpted heads with varied expressions, while the corbels that receive them are adorned with human masks - grimacing, buffoonish or serious faces. This repertoire of fantastic heads, inherited from the tradition of medieval bestiaries, lends the interior space an atmosphere that is both solemn and strange. The tympanums of the pointed arches above the altars preserve the remains of polychrome frescoes, whose Marian and hagiographic iconography, although fragmentary today, bears witness to a coherent and ambitious original decorative programme.
Related Figures
Les maîtres maçons bretons anonymes du XVe siècle, artisans du gothique flamboyant régionalLes membres de la frairie Notre-Dame-de-Lannelou, commanditaires laïcs de la reconstruction gothiqueLes vicomtes de Porhoët, seigneurs médiévaux ayant structuré la vie ecclésiastique de la Haute-BretagneFrançois II, duc de Bretagne (1458-1488), sous le règne duquel la chapelle fut probablement reconstruiteLes érudits des Sociétés savantes bretonnes du XIXe siècle, artisans de la redécouverte du patrimoine rural
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Lannelou located?
Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Lannelou is located in Montauban-de-Bretagne, Département 35 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Lannelou built?
Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Lannelou dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Lannelou open to visitors?
Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Lannelou is currently closed to visitors.
