Chapelle Notre-Dame-du-Crann
MonumentHidden Treasure
Chapelle Notre-Dame-du-Crann, located in Spézet (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
- Spézet, Département 29, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.1869, -3.7236
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00090452
Nestling in the heart of Finistère, the Notre-Dame-du-Crann chapel in Spézet is a jewel of 16th-century Breton Gothic, famous for its medieval wall paintings and unspoilt mystical atmosphere.
History
At the turn of a road in central Finistère, the chapel of Notre-Dame-du-Crann appears like a timeless apparition. Built in the 16th century in the deeply Breton region of Spézet, it embodies with rare intensity the popular fervour that animated the Armorican countryside on the eve of the Wars of Religion. Its very name - Crann, meaning "tree" in Breton - evokes the ancestral link between the Christian sacred and nature, so prevalent in Celtic spirituality. What immediately sets Notre-Dame-du-Crann apart from the countless rural chapels in Brittany is the quality of its interior layout. Divided into three naves by sturdy piers and carefully proportioned arches, it is surprisingly spacious for its modest size. The light filtering through the skylights bathes the space in a golden glow, conducive to meditation as well as aesthetic admiration. The remains of wall paintings preserved under the vault are without doubt the most precious treasure of the place. These traces of polychromy, characteristic of Breton religious decoration in the late Middle Ages, provide rare evidence of the way in which local craftsmen dressed their buildings in colour and biblical narrative. Although partially erased by the centuries, they retain an undeniable evocative power. The natural setting completes the experience. Surrounded by a typical Breton parish enclosure, the chapel is set in a hilly, wooded landscape that fully justifies its evocation of the sacred tree. Lovers of little-known heritage, tired of over-frequented sites, will find a rare authenticity and precious tranquillity here.
Architecture
The Notre-Dame-du-Crann chapel has a typical late Breton Gothic layout: a tripartite vessel divided into three naves of equal or similar height, separated by rows of cylindrical or polygonal piers bearing pointed arches. This layout, known as a "hall" or "plan-halle", gives the interior space a remarkable unity and a feeling of horizontal breadth typical of 16th-century Finistère religious architecture. The vaulting, probably in the form of a broken barrel vault or simplified ribbed vaulting, still bears traces of polychrome paint, suggesting an original, richly-coloured decoration, probably combining representations of saints, plant motifs and scenes from the life of Christ or the Virgin Mary. Externally, the building is in the tradition of Breton rural chapels built in the region's granite, a material whose greyish colour and rough texture give these structures their distinctive character, at once austere and alive in the light. The protruding buttresses, the sloping gables and any gargoyles are the main decorative elements on a deliberately sober façade. A bell tower-wall or bell tower-gable, a common feature of chapels in central Finistère, probably tops the west façade. The traditional enclosure surrounding the chapel, with its crosses and low granite walls, plays a full part in the architectural and landscape composition of the site.
Related Figures
Les maîtres maçons bretons du XVIe siècle, artisans anonymes de la floraison des chapelles finistériennesLes recteurs successifs de la paroisse de Spézet, gardiens de la dévotion à Notre-Dame-du-CrannLes peintres muraux locaux ayant orné la voûte de polychromies au XVIe siècleLes fidèles et confréries paroissiales à l'origine du financement de la constructionLes inspecteurs des Monuments Historiques ayant instruit le dossier de classement de 1916
Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Chapelle Notre-Dame-du-Crann located?
Chapelle Notre-Dame-du-Crann is located in Spézet, Département 29 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Chapelle Notre-Dame-du-Crann built?
Chapelle Notre-Dame-du-Crann dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Chapelle Notre-Dame-du-Crann open to visitors?
Chapelle Notre-Dame-du-Crann is currently closed to visitors.