Chapelle Saint-Sébastien
MonumentHidden Treasure
Chapelle Saint-Sébastien, located in Le Faouët (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
- Le Faouët, Département 56, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.0666, -3.4796
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00091192
In the heart of the Faouët region, the Saint-Sébastien chapel boasts slender Gothic pediments and sculpted sablières of unprecedented boldness - including the famous frieze of the devil leading the peasants in a dance.
History
Nestling in the Morbihan bocage, a few leagues from the market town of Le Faouët, the chapel of Saint-Sébastien stands out as one of the little-known gems of Breton religious art. Built in the 16th and 17th centuries in a flamboyant Gothic style tinged with the local Renaissance, it is surprisingly well decorated and as inventive as the great ducal chapels of the region. What makes Saint-Sébastien truly unique is the iconographic freedom of its sculptors. Where other buildings confine themselves to conventional imagery, the craftsmen who carved the interior runners gave free rein to a striking popular fantasy: hybrid animals, peasant scenes, mischievous angels and noble coats of arms are all part of a profuse bestiary. The "devil's sandpit" - in which Satan himself leads peasants on a wild ride - is undoubtedly one of the most unusual and most talked-about sculptures in the whole of inland Brittany. A tour of the interior reveals a beautifully elegant polygonal choir, adorned with sculptures that bear witness to the piety and biting humour of the local patrons. The side doors, framed by finely chiselled brackets and finials, invite you to take a close look at every detail - provided you take the time to do so. The setting adds to the experience: the chapel stands in unspoilt rural surroundings, far from the hustle and bustle of tourism, surrounded by ancient oak trees and an almost medieval calm. Photographers and architecture enthusiasts will find the soft interior light, filtered through discreet windows, ideal for capturing the texture of the carved woodwork. It's the kind of place you discover by chance and don't leave unscathed.
Architecture
The Saint-Sébastien chapel has a Latin cross floor plan, the classic form of Breton rural chapels of the Renaissance, with a polygonal chancel with several sides that gives the apse an elegance characteristic of the region's flamboyant Gothic style. The arms of the transept and the central nave are punctuated by aisles opening onto the exterior through doors decorated with carved braces and fleurons - decorative elements that bear witness to the skills of 16th-century Morbihan stonemasons. The particularly slender pediments give the exterior silhouette a striking verticality, accentuated by the belfries and pinnacles that punctuate the ridge lines. The interior is full of surprises. The runners - the horizontal pieces of wood that run along the base of the roof structure and support the rafters - have been transformed by the sculptors into a veritable picture novel. The most famous scene depicts the Devil leading peasants in a ridée, a traditional Breton chain dance: a composition of rare vivacity and iconographic freedom, which blends Christian morality and popular culture with a wry sense of humour. Other sandpits display processions of animals, hunting scenes, angels and coats of arms, forming a sculpted encyclopaedia of the life and beliefs of the period. The choir also features sculptures in the round and in relief, completing a decorative programme of remarkable coherence and richness for a rural devotional chapel.
Related Figures
Saint Sébastien — martyr romain du IIIe siècle, saint patron de la chapelle et protecteur contre la peste, dont le culte motiava la construction de l'édificeArtisans sculpteurs anonymes du XVIe-XVIIe siècle — auteurs des sablières et des décors sculptés, probablement issus d'ateliers régionaux du Morbihan intérieurFamilles nobles du pays de Faouët — commanditaires présumés dont les armoiries figurent parmi les décors sculptés des sablièresInspecteurs des Monuments historiques (fin XIXe-début XXe siècle) — érudits et fonctionnaires qui signalèrent la valeur patrimoniale exceptionnelle des boiseries et obtinrent le classement de 1934
Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Chapelle Saint-Sébastien located?
Chapelle Saint-Sébastien is located in Le Faouët, Département 56 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Chapelle Saint-Sébastien built?
Chapelle Saint-Sébastien dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Chapelle Saint-Sébastien open to visitors?
Chapelle Saint-Sébastien is currently closed to visitors.