Chapelle Notre-Dame-des-Vertus
MonumentHidden Treasure
Chapelle Notre-Dame-des-Vertus, located in Berric (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
- Berric, Département 56, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.6412, -2.5122
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00091031
A flamboyant Gothic jewel in the Morbihan region, the Notre-Dame-des-Vertus chapel in Berric boasts a western portal with geminated doors of rare elegance and a sculpted chevet window dating from 1488.
History
Nestling in the Morbihan bocage, the Notre-Dame-des-Vertus chapel in Berric is one of those discreet buildings that harbour unsuspected architectural riches. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1930, it bears remarkably coherent witness to two major building campaigns carried out in the 15th and 16th centuries, offering the attentive visitor a fascinating dialogue between two expressions of Breton Gothic architecture. What makes this chapel truly unique is the quality of its stonework and the sophistication of its sculpted details. The west facade, rebuilt in the 16th century, is striking for its monumental portal: a large recessed pointed arch surrounds two geminated basket-handle doors, whose braces radiate out from the tympanum like stone lacework. Every architectural element here seems designed to produce an effect of depth and lightness, characteristic of the best Breton Gothic work. The interior of the chapel extends this aesthetic experience to a more intimate level. The eastern part, the oldest, retains its carved wooden sablières - one of which bears the founding inscription of 1488 - as well as a beautiful chevet window with flamboyant tracery that diffuses a subdued light over the choir. The juxtaposition of the two phases of construction is never shocking: on the contrary, it creates a harmonious continuity typical of Breton rural chapels. The surrounding countryside, typical of the Vannes region, adds a welcome bucolic dimension to the visit. Surrounded by a landscaped cemetery and old trees, the chapel is part of a gentle, green bocage landscape that invites contemplation. For travellers in search of an authentic heritage far from the crowds, Berric offers an invaluable stop-off on the routes of Breton medieval architecture.
Architecture
The chapel of Notre-Dame-des-Vertus has an elongated rectangular plan, simple and without a transept, typical of Breton rural chapels of the late Gothic period. The building reads like an architectural palimpsest in which two successive construction campaigns have left their complementary mark, without ever breaking the overall unity. The eastern part, the oldest, dates from the end of the 15th century and contains the most delicate elements. The chevet window, in the flamboyant style, unfurls its stone networks in a play of curves and counter-curves characteristic of Breton Gothic art at its height. On the south wall, a basket-handle door, the brace of which rests on sculpted abutments, provides a precious decorative accent. The carved wooden runners on the interior roof frame, one of which bears an inscription dated 1488, provide rare evidence of the dating and continuity of the woodcarving tradition in southern Brittany. The western facade, the result of 16th-century reconstruction, is the centrepiece of the building. Its portal, comprising a large pointed arch with recesses framing two geminated basket-handle doors, is remarkably elaborate for a chapel of this size. The braces of the two doorways are set directly against the tympanum, creating a particularly successful effect of superimposition and depth. The whole bears witness to a mastery of plastic effects typical of the stonemasons' workshops active in the Vannes region in the early Renaissance.
Related Figures
François II, duc de Bretagne (commanditaire potentiel de l'édifice initial en tant que souverain du duché lors de la première campagne de 1488)Anne de Bretagne (duchesse régnante lors de l'achèvement de la chapelle en 1488, figure tutélaire du renouveau religieux breton)Artisans tailleurs de pierre morbihannais anonymes (auteurs du portail occidental et des sculptures flamboyantes du XVIe siècle)Charpentiers locaux anonymes (sculpteurs des sablières de bois dont l'une porte l'inscription de 1488)Inspecteurs des Monuments Historiques (auteurs du classement protecteur de 1930, sauvegardant l'édifice pour les générations futures)
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Chapelle Notre-Dame-des-Vertus located?
Chapelle Notre-Dame-des-Vertus is located in Berric, Département 56 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Chapelle Notre-Dame-des-Vertus built?
Chapelle Notre-Dame-des-Vertus dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Chapelle Notre-Dame-des-Vertus open to visitors?
Chapelle Notre-Dame-des-Vertus is currently closed to visitors.
