Cimetière de la chapelle Sainte-Croix
MonumentHidden Treasure
Cimetière de la chapelle Sainte-Croix, located in Josselin (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
- Josselin, Département 56, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.9516, -2.5515
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00091311
In the heart of Josselin, this 16th-century Breton calvary rises up from its granite shaft beneath four broken arches housing sculptures of rare delicacy - a masterpiece of Breton funerary statuary.
History
Nestling in the former cemetery of the Sainte-Croix chapel in Josselin, this granite calvary is one of the most moving reminders of the popular faith in Brittany during the Renaissance. Standing on a round column, it displays a skilfully composed iconography around a square pedestal punctuated by four broken arches, each housing a sacred figure carved from local stone. It's not the most spectacular monument in Brittany in terms of its size, but it's one of the most intimate and moving in terms of the quality of its sculptural programme. What distinguishes this calvary from the multitude of Breton funerary crosses is precisely the sophistication of its iconographic programme. Under the four arches are Christ on the Cross, Saint Lawrence, Saint John the Baptist and Saint Anne Crowned - four figures that weave a dialogue between the Passion, martyrdom and sacred genealogy. At the foot of the ensemble, the Virgin and Child crowns this sculpted meditation on life, death and redemption. This square layout, the only one of its kind in the region, transforms the monument into a kind of open-air chapel. A visit to this cemetery is a moment of timeless contemplation in a town rich in spectacular monuments. Josselin is famous for its medieval castle overlooking the river Oust, but it is sometimes in these discreet places that the collective memory is best crystallised. Here, Breton granite takes on a dark, velvety hue, with the patina of centuries of Atlantic weathering, giving the sculptures an almost palpable depth. The setting of the old cemetery, with its worn flagstones and overgrown vegetation, reinforces the melancholy and sacred character of the whole. Lovers of medieval and Renaissance sculpture will find here an authentic work, preserved from excessive restoration, in a state that bears honest witness to its five centuries of existence. Photographers and watercolourists will particularly appreciate the play of light and shadow that the broken arches create on the granite in the early hours of the morning.
Architecture
The calvary in the chapel of Sainte-Croix rests on a round granite column rising above a square pedestal. This design, typical of Breton calvaries from the late 15th and early 16th centuries, combines the symbolic verticality of the cross with the stability of a carefully crafted architectural base. Each of the four sides of the pedestal is hollowed out by a broken arcade - a direct borrowing from late Gothic vocabulary - which form as many niches housing the sculpted figures. This treatment of four separate pointed arches is relatively rare for a calvary of this size, and gives the whole thing the appearance of a small architectural aedicule, almost like an open-air stone baldachin. The sculptural programme is remarkably coherent in terms of iconography. Christ on the Cross probably occupies the main face, facing the path of the faithful and the dead. Saint Lawrence, recognisable by his attributes, evokes martyrdom; Saint John the Baptist, the precursor of Christ, recalls baptism and purification; and Saint Anne, crowned and mother of the Virgin, anchors the monument in the particularly intense Breton devotion to this patron saint of Brittany. At the foot of the column, the Virgin and Child completes the theological cycle, combining tenderness and intercession. The size of the figures, adapted to their placement in the niches, testifies to a certain mastery of the relationship between architecture and sculpture. The material used is Breton granite, a hard and austere stone that imposes on the sculptor an economy of means and robustness of form. The drapery, faces and attributes of the saints have been treated with an attention to detail that accommodates the constraints of the material. Granite, which is naturally resistant to the elements, goes a long way towards explaining the monument's remarkable preservation after five centuries of exposure to the Atlantic elements.
Related Figures
Artisan tailleur de pierre breton du XVIe siècle (auteur anonyme du calvaire)Membres de la confrérie de la chapelle Sainte-Croix de Josselin (commanditaires présumés)Famille de Rohan (seigneurs de Josselin, mécènes du patrimoine religieux local au XVIe siècle)Inspecteurs des Monuments Historiques ayant conduit à l'inscription de 1928
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Cimetière de la chapelle Sainte-Croix located?
Cimetière de la chapelle Sainte-Croix is located in Josselin, Département 56 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Cimetière de la chapelle Sainte-Croix built?
Cimetière de la chapelle Sainte-Croix dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Cimetière de la chapelle Sainte-Croix open to visitors?
Cimetière de la chapelle Sainte-Croix is currently closed to visitors.