Chapelle Saint-Blaise et son cimetière
MonumentHidden Treasure
Chapelle Saint-Blaise et son cimetière, located in Bulat-Pestivien (Département 22), 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
- Bulat-Pestivien, Département 22, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.4363, -3.3264
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00089043
Tucked away in the Trégor region of Brittany, the Chapel of Saint Blaise in Bulat-Pestivien captivates visitors with its Renaissance façade adorned with carved pilasters and its elegant bell tower topped with a stone spire – a discreet gem within a listed parish churchyard.
History
In the heart of the Trégor hills, in one of the most unspoilt landscapes in the Côtes-d'Armor, the chapel of Saint-Blaise in Bulat-Pestivien is one of those Breton monuments that you discover with the delightful surprise of the unexpected. Set within a cemetery enclosure whose centuries-old walls seem to keep the world at bay, it belongs to the constellation of rural pilgrimage sites that dot inland Brittany - discreet in appearance, but with a remarkable spiritual and artistic density. What immediately sets this monument apart is the ornamental wealth of its western façade, whose 17th-century portal stands out as a veritable lesson in sculpted decoration. The pilasters framing the semi-circular entrance are adorned with rosettes and lozenges in a resolutely Renaissance style - a formal vocabulary inherited from Italy but assimilated with a distinctly Breton flavour. The cartouche at the top, flanked by two heraldic lions, gives the façade an almost solemn presence, crowned by the square tower and its stone spire pierced by finial dormers. The enclosure surrounding the chapel makes a powerful contribution to the atmosphere of the place. Calvary, cemetery and church building form a coherent whole, typical of Breton parish enclosures, where each element interacts with the others according to a spatial and symbolic logic inherited from the late Middle Ages. A stroll through this area will take you through several centuries at once, from the 16th-century calvary to the architecture of the bell tower, whose classical entablature with architrave, frieze and cornice testifies to a remarkable mastery of construction for a country chapel. The attentive visitor will notice the subtle tension between the different chronological strata of the building: the late Gothic of the buttresses, the Renaissance of the sculpted ornamentation, and the tempered classicism of the openwork bell tower. This superimposition of styles is not a blunder, but the faithful reflection of a construction in stages, each generation contributing its own aesthetic sensibility while respecting the overall harmony. In a part of the Argoat region that is often overlooked by traditional tourist routes, Saint-Blaise de Bulat-Pestivien is one of those treasures that is carefully preserved for curious travellers, those who prefer depth to crowds.
Architecture
Saint-Blaise chapel is in the tradition of Breton rural chapels with a single nave, whose main architectural interest lies in its western façade. This is organised according to a tripartite plan: a semi-circular portal framed by two buttresses linked by a semi-circular arch, forming a sort of open porch that protects the entrance. Above this rises the square bell tower, whose silhouette is punctuated by openwork bays with mullions and crosspieces for the bells, culminating in a stone spire embellished with dormer windows and finials. The 17th-century portal is the centrepiece of the sculpted decoration. Two pilasters in slight relief, decorated with Renaissance vocabulary - rosettes, lozenges, geometric motifs - frame the arched entrance and extend vertically beyond the pediment, in a bold move that breaks with the classical logic of the entablature. A sculpted cartouche, flanked by two lions in the round or in bas-relief, crowns the whole and gives the façade an almost heraldic dimension. The bell tower, meanwhile, reveals a more classical sensibility, with a complete entablature - architrave, frieze and cornice - that bears witness to a carefully integrated academic influence. The masonry is typically Breton, undoubtedly combining local granite and limestone for the sculpted elements, materials that give the whole its characteristic grey patina of monuments in the Trégor region. The cemetery enclosure, bounded by a stone wall, houses the 16th-century calvary, whose presence reinforces its role as a place of meditation and collective memory.
Related Figures
Saint Blaise — évêque martyr de Sébaste (IVe siècle), patron de la chapelle, vénéré comme protecteur des animaux et guérisseurArtisans et tailleurs de pierre bretons du XVIIe siècle — auteurs du portail Renaissance sculpté, anonymes mais d'une maîtrise remarquableMaîtres d'œuvre locaux du XVIIIe siècle — responsables de l'achèvement du clocher classique à entablementMembres des confréries paroissiales de Bulat-Pestivien — commanditaires probables des embellissements successifs entre XVIe et XVIIIe sièclesInspecteurs des Monuments historiques (1911 et 1964) — acteurs de la reconnaissance patrimoniale officielle du site
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Chapelle Saint-Blaise et son cimetière located?
Chapelle Saint-Blaise et son cimetière is located in Bulat-Pestivien, Département 22 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Chapelle Saint-Blaise et son cimetière built?
Chapelle Saint-Blaise et son cimetière dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Chapelle Saint-Blaise et son cimetière open to visitors?
Chapelle Saint-Blaise et son cimetière is currently closed to visitors.