Chapelle Saint-Lubin et calvaire
MonumentHidden Treasure
Chapelle Saint-Lubin et calvaire, located in Plémet (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
- Plémet, Département 22, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.1920, -2.6102
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00089407
Joyau roman-gothique du pays breton, la chapelle Saint-Lubin de Plémet déploie ses doubles pignons caractéristiques et abrite une charpente sculptée ainsi que deux vitraux du XVIe siècle d'une rare délicatesse.
History
Nestling in the commune of Plémet, in the heart of the Côtes-d'Armor region, the Saint-Lubin chapel is one of those discreet buildings that condense centuries of Breton art in its stones. Its hybrid architecture, halfway between Romanesque and Gothic, bears witness to a long medieval gestation period during which each generation of builders added their own stamp, without ever breaking the harmony of the whole. What makes Saint-Lubin truly unique is the combination of its corner tower - a defensive element and a signpost in the bocage landscape - and its north aisle forming double gables. This typically Breton layout is a reminder that Armorican country chapels obeyed their own architectural codes, quite distinct from the great Gothic cathedrals of the royal domain. Here, the architecture speaks the dialect of the local stone. The interior is full of surprises for attentive visitors. The medieval roof frame, preserved in remarkable condition, reveals a sculpted programme of plant motifs, grotesque heads and symbolic figures on its joists and eaves. These sculptures, too often neglected in favour of the painted or sculpted works on the floor, form a veritable museum suspended above the congregation. Two 16th-century stained-glass windows, probably from workshops in Rennes or Quimper, radiate intense coloured light, while a 17th-century grisaille bears witness to the renewal of the glass arts in the modern era. The calvary adjoining the chapel completes the ensemble admirably. As throughout inland Brittany, the calvary is not simply a funerary ornament: it structures the sacred space of the pardon, the annual procession that once brought together parishioners from the surrounding villages around their patron saint. To visit Saint-Lubin is to enter a living space of popular devotion, where stone, wood and glass together tell the story of eight centuries of Breton rural faith.
Architecture
The layout of Saint-Lubin chapel is typical of Romanesque-Gothic transitional buildings: a main nave extended by a slightly raised choir, flanked by a north aisle that creates a succession of highly recognisable double gables on the outside. This jagged silhouette, typical of Breton chapels from the 14th and 15th centuries, creates a distinctive visual rhythm on the elevations, breaking with the monotony of single-sloped facades. The corner tower, set at the junction of the nave and choir, rises up as a slight projection that structures the whole and marks out the building in the surrounding hedged farmland. The walls, probably made of granite or local schist depending on the resources extracted from the Plémet subsoil, have the careful but unostentatious bonding of Breton medieval rural buildings. The bays, a mix of Romanesque semi-circular openings and Gothic lancets and tracery, illustrate the different phases of construction. Inside, the wood-panelled roof structure is the highlight of the visit: its carved joists with plant or figurative motifs, together with the eaves running along the walls, form a decorative ensemble of remarkable quality for a rural building. The two 16th-century stained glass windows, with their deep colours, and the 17th-century grisaille, complete an interior of real artistic coherence.
Related Figures
Saint Lubin (Leobinus), évêque de Chartres au VIe siècle, saint patron de la chapelle, invoqué contre les maladies des yeuxMaîtres verriers bretons du XVIe siècle, auteurs des deux vitraux colorésCharpentiers médiévaux anonymes, sculpteurs des entraits et de la sablièreDucs de Bretagne (XIVe-XVe siècle), dont le mécénat artistique favorisa l'embellissement des chapelles rurales armoricainesCommission des Monuments Historiques (arrêté du 21 novembre 1925), responsable de la protection officielle de l'édifice
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Chapelle Saint-Lubin et calvaire located?
Chapelle Saint-Lubin et calvaire is located in Plémet, Département 22 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Chapelle Saint-Lubin et calvaire built?
Chapelle Saint-Lubin et calvaire dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Chapelle Saint-Lubin et calvaire open to visitors?
Chapelle Saint-Lubin et calvaire is currently closed to visitors.
