Chapelle Saint-Avé-d'en-Bas, dite aussi Notre-Dame-du-Loc
MonumentHidden Treasure
Chapelle Saint-Avé-d'en-Bas, dite aussi Notre-Dame-du-Loc, located in Saint-Avé (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
- Saint-Avé, Département 56, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.6897, -2.7305
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00091661
Nestling in the heart of Morbihan, this flamboyant Gothic chapel dating from 1494 captivates visitors with its soaring spire, sculpted sablières and devotional fountain - an unspoilt medieval setting in the heart of deepest Brittany.
History
At the bend in a sunken path in Morbihan, the chapel of Saint-Avé-d'en-Bas, also known by the evocative name of Notre-Dame-du-Loc, emerges like a medieval apparition preserved from the ravages of time. Built at the end of the 15th century - as evidenced by the date 1494 engraved on its sandpits - it is one of the most intact examples of Breton popular devotion at the end of the Middle Ages. What immediately sets this sanctuary apart is the remarkable coherence of its architectural and devotional ensemble: the chapel itself, its walled enclosure, its sculpted calvary and its sacred fountain form an indissociable whole, such as generations of pilgrims have frequented for over five centuries. In Brittany, these so-called "parish" or "devotional" complexes are the expression of a popular faith rooted in the land; Saint-Avé-d'en-Bas is a particularly well-preserved example. The interior is a treasure trove of woodcarving: the runners in the nave and choir are adorned with expressive figures, leafy tracery and Gothic inscriptions, precious evidence of the skills of Breton carpenters in the nascent Renaissance. The chevet window, with its flamboyant latticework, still retains a few fragments of ancient stained glass that filter a golden, contemplative light. The tour invites you to take a slow, contemplative stroll. The elongated spire that crowns the centre of the nave gives the building an unmistakeable silhouette, elegantly silhouetted against the Morbihan sky. Visitors should pay close attention to the details of the western gable, which is the most elaborate, with its slightly recessed ogival door framed by elaborate mouldings - a true Gothic signature. With its rural setting, meditative atmosphere and discreet but real sculptural wealth, Notre-Dame-du-Loc is one of those places that deserve to be remembered.
Architecture
Built on a Latin cross plan, the chapel of Saint-Avé-d'en-Bas is typical of late Breton Gothic construction, where economy of means does not exclude aesthetic research. The building combines two construction methods: the gables are made of carefully dressed ashlar, while the gutter walls are built of granite rubble, a common technique in inland Brittany that gives the whole a sober, earthy robustness. The western gable, the most elaborate, is punctuated by a slightly projecting ogival door, the frame of which is emphasised by typically flamboyant continuous mouldings. The most striking feature of the exterior silhouette is the elongated spire that rises from the centre of the nave - a formal feature reminiscent of the spire bell towers so common in the landscape of inland Brittany, and which gives the building a slender verticality that is unusual for a building of this modest size. The chevet window, with its stone latticework cut in the flamboyant Gothic style, retains some remnants of old stained glass windows, precious fragments of medieval colours. Inside, the wooden framework is the most remarkable feature: the runners in the nave and choir, dated 1494, are adorned with a sculpted programme that is richly iconographic for its scale - bust or full-length figures, expressive heads, foliage scrolls and Gothic inscriptions. These elements constitute an exceptional document on Breton decorative arts at the dawn of the Renaissance. The ensemble is completed by a traditional enclosure, a sculpted calvary and a devotional fountain, forming an integral devotional site characteristic of Morbihan.
Related Figures
Artisans charpentiers bretons de la fin du XVe siècle (auteurs des sablières sculptées de 1494)Commanditaire anonyme du vœu fondateur (seigneur local ou communauté de Saint-Avé, vers 1490-1494)Sculpteurs lapicidaires morbihannais (auteurs des décors du pignon occidental et du calvaire)Fidèles pèlerins de Notre-Dame-du-Loc (communauté dévotionnelle active du XVe au XXe siècle)Inspecteurs des Monuments Historiques (classements de 1922 et 1932)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Chapelle Saint-Avé-d'en-Bas, dite aussi Notre-Dame-du-Loc located?
Chapelle Saint-Avé-d'en-Bas, dite aussi Notre-Dame-du-Loc is located in Saint-Avé, Département 56 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Chapelle Saint-Avé-d'en-Bas, dite aussi Notre-Dame-du-Loc built?
Chapelle Saint-Avé-d'en-Bas, dite aussi Notre-Dame-du-Loc dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Chapelle Saint-Avé-d'en-Bas, dite aussi Notre-Dame-du-Loc open to visitors?
Chapelle Saint-Avé-d'en-Bas, dite aussi Notre-Dame-du-Loc is currently closed to visitors.