Chapelle Saint-Maudet
MonumentHidden Treasure
Chapelle Saint-Maudet, located in Lennon (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
- Lennon, Département 29, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.1955, -3.9206
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00090067
In the heart of Finistère, the chapel of Saint-Maudet in Lennon is a blend of flamboyant Gothic and Breton Baroque, with a 1692 portal carved with a baptism of Christ, a medieval bracketed spire and elegant pointed arches.
History
Nestling in the inland countryside of Finistère, in Lennon, the chapel of Saint Maudet is one of those Breton shrines that you discover at the bend of a sunken path and never leave unscathed. Dedicated to Saint Maudet - or Maudez - the Irish monk who evangelised Armorica in the High Middle Ages, it combines several centuries of popular faith and traditional craftsmanship in a single building. What immediately sets the chapel apart is the harmonious coexistence of a finely articulated Gothic aisle and a facade remodelled at the turn of the 17th century with classic elegance. Five pointed arches open the aisle onto the nave, bathed in light filtered through a Gothic window whose flamboyant latticework seems to have survived the ages. This temporal duality, far from weakening the coherence of the whole, gives it a rare narrative depth. The visit begins at the forecourt: the southern portal immediately catches the eye with its bas-relief depicting the baptism of Christ, a scene of unexpected sculptural gentleness for a rural chapel. If you look up, the hooked spire - probably the legacy of an earlier bell tower - rises with the verticality characteristic of Breton Gothic, while the openwork bell tower dating from 1692 gives it a contrasting silhouette. The interior is intimate and quiet, inviting slow contemplation. The semi-darkness typical of Breton chapels, punctuated by coloured light filtering through the windows, creates an atmosphere conducive to silence and meticulous observation of the architectural details. Photographers will find that the play of light and shadow is of the highest quality, particularly in the morning. As well as the building itself, the landscape of inland Finistère - wooded, discreet and authentic - surrounds Saint-Maudet, far from the hustle and bustle of the coast. It's an essential stop-off for anyone seeking to understand the deep soul of religious Brittany.
Architecture
Saint-Maudet chapel is in the tradition of Breton rural chapels with a single nave flanked by a side aisle, a layout that was widespread in Finistère at the end of the Middle Ages. The aisle, built at the end of the 15th century, opens onto the nave through a series of five pointed arches whose slender lines are fully in keeping with the Gothic vocabulary of the period. A window with a flamboyant latticework - perhaps rebuilt in the 17th century but faithful to the original design - provides soft, filtered light to this lateral space. The main façade, remodelled in 1692, features a period portal whose classical proportions contrast with the Gothic verticality of the rest of the building. Above, the openwork bell tower from the same period has a silhouette that is typical of Breton rural Baroque, punctuated by semi-circular openings that lighten the masonry mass. The bracketed spire that crowns it, inherited from an earlier medieval bell tower, is a strong reminder of the age of the sanctuary. The southern portal is the decorative jewel of the ensemble: its tympanum or spandrel is adorned with a bas-relief depicting the Baptism of Christ, a composition of exemplary narrative clarity, sculpted from local granite with a sober expressiveness typical of Breton artistic production. The materials used, mainly local granite, give the building the austere grey hue that blends in so perfectly with the inland landscape of Finistère.
Related Figures
Saint Maudez (Maudet) — moine irlandais évangélisateur de l'Armorique, Ve-VIe siècle, patron de la chapelleArtisans et maîtres d'œuvre bretons anonymes du XVe siècle — constructeurs du bas-côté gothiqueSculpteur anonyme de 1692 — auteur du bas-relief du baptême du Christ et du portail méridionalMaîtres d'œuvre locaux de 1692 — responsables du clocher ajouré et du portail principalConservateurs des Monuments historiques — ayant instruit le dossier d'inscription de 1952
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Chapelle Saint-Maudet located?
Chapelle Saint-Maudet is located in Lennon, Département 29 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Chapelle Saint-Maudet built?
Chapelle Saint-Maudet dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Chapelle Saint-Maudet open to visitors?
Chapelle Saint-Maudet is currently closed to visitors.