Chapelle Saint-Aubin, située au hameau de Lanvaïdic
MonumentHidden Treasure
Chapelle Saint-Aubin, située au hameau de Lanvaïdic, located in Port-Launay (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
- Port-Launay, Département 29, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.2201, -4.0849
- Mérimée Reference
- PA29000072
Nestling in the hamlet of Lanvaïdic, this 17th-century Breton chapel charms visitors with its exceptional woodwork and floral murals, intact witnesses of a preserved rural religious art.
History
In the heart of Finistère, in the peaceful hamlet of Lanvaïdic in the commune of Port-Launay, the chapel of Saint-Aubin stands out as one of those discreet jewels that Brittany knows so well how to hide in the corner of a sunken lane. Listed as a Historic Monument in 2011, it is the perfect embodiment of the sobriety of the Breton rural sacred: no ostentation, no decorative overload, but a formal coherence and architectural integrity that are rare for a building from this period. What makes Saint-Aubin truly unique is the remarkable quality of its preserved ensemble. Where so many country chapels have suffered successive alterations, clumsy additions or irreparable loss of heritage, this one has survived in a strikingly homogeneous state. The interior carpentry, of exceptional workmanship for a building of this scale, bears witness to the skills of Breton carpenters of the Grand Siècle, heirs to a centuries-old technical tradition. The experience of visiting the building is full of surprises. First of all, you'll be captivated by the fragments of wall paintings with floral decor preserved in the choir, under the 17th-century plaster: a delicate palette of plants, miraculously surviving the ravages of time. The interior furnishings, also from the 17th century, combine with the architecture to form an ensemble of remarkable stylistic coherence, as if frozen in the amber of its own time. Even before crossing the threshold, visitors are greeted by the placître - the typically Breton enclosed space surrounding the chapel - where stands a calvary sculpted in kersantite, the dark, fine stone quarried in the Brest region and so dear to Breton imagers. The remains of the parish enclosure complete this picture of a sacred rurality that has been preserved, offering walkers an authentic insight into the spiritual and community life of 17th-century Brittany.
Architecture
The Saint-Aubin chapel has a very simple Latin cross plan, with a short nave and a flat chevet characteristic of 17th-century Breton rural chapels. This simple, functional layout reflects the regional architectural canons of the post-Reformation era, when liturgical clarity took precedence over decorative splendour. The arms of the transept give the building its cross without altering its compact proportions, suited to a hamlet community. The sober exterior features the local granite masonry typical of Finistère, carved with care but without ostentation. The calvary in the cloister, carved from kersantite - a dark, finely grained stone extracted from quarries on the Crozon peninsula and in the Brest harbour - is a perfect illustration of the tradition of Breton imagiers, who were able to extract highly expressive effects from this dark volcanic rock. The remains of the parish enclosure, which are still partially visible, bear witness to the spatial structure typical of Breton parish ensembles. Inside, the main architectural surprise is the very high quality of the carpentry, the joints and proportions of which far exceed what would be expected of a building of this modest size. The choir still has fragments of 17th-century floral wall paintings under its plaster, with a freshness of colour that has been preserved by centuries of unintentional protection. The interior furnishings - altar, statues, wood panelling - together with the architecture form a stylistically homogeneous whole, with a consistency that is rare for a building of this scale.
Related Figures
Saint Aubin de Angers (470-550) — évêque d'Angers au VIe siècle, saint patron de la chapelle, dont le culte était très répandu en Bretagne occidentaleArtisans charpentiers locaux (vers 1664) — auteurs de la remarquable charpente intérieure, dont l'identité reste inconnue mais dont le talent est attesté par l'œuvre conservéeImagiers de kersantite (XVIIe siècle) — sculpteurs anonymes auteurs du calvaire en kersantite du placître, dans la grande tradition des ateliers bretons spécialisés dans cette pierre volcaniquePeintres en bâtiment ou artistes locaux (fin XVIIe siècle) — auteurs présumés des peintures murales florales du chœur, représentatifs du courant décoratif naturaliste de l'art religieux breton
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Chapelle Saint-Aubin, située au hameau de Lanvaïdic located?
Chapelle Saint-Aubin, située au hameau de Lanvaïdic is located in Port-Launay, Département 29 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Chapelle Saint-Aubin, située au hameau de Lanvaïdic built?
Chapelle Saint-Aubin, située au hameau de Lanvaïdic dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Chapelle Saint-Aubin, située au hameau de Lanvaïdic open to visitors?
Chapelle Saint-Aubin, située au hameau de Lanvaïdic is currently closed to visitors.