Cimetière de Saint-Allouestre
MonumentHidden Treasure
Cimetière de Saint-Allouestre, located in Saint-Allouestre (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
- Saint-Allouestre, Département 56, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.9102, -2.7219
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00091655
In the heart of the Morbihan region, the cemetery of Saint-Allouestre is home to a Breton calvary dating from the 18th century, with a rare sobriety: a tall, slender granite shaft surmounted by Christ on the Cross, a testimony to Breton rural piety.
History
In the Morbihan bocage, off the beaten tourist track, the cemetery of Saint-Allouestre conceals a discreet jewel that the State deemed worthy of protection in 1934: a granite calvary from the third quarter of the 18th century, sober and powerful, whose silhouette stands out against the sky of inland Brittany with a very special solemnity. What sets this monument apart from the many Breton crosses scattered around the region is the quality of its carving. The base houses an altar on which is set an altarpiece decorated with a bust of the Virgin Mary and an angel, a reminder of the devotional practices that once animated these spaces of transition between the world of the living and that of the dead. On the large granite shaft, Christ on the Cross is accompanied by the two traditional figures - the Virgin and Saint John - forming a classical composition that is striking because of the austerity of the material and the precision of the workmanship. To visit this cemetery is to agree to slow down. The monument does not impose itself by its size, but by the density of its presence. It is in dialogue with the surrounding headstones, the weathered granite walls and the silence of the central Morbihan countryside. Photographers will appreciate the low-angled morning or evening light, which brings out the grain of the granite and the contours of the sculpted figures. The setting of the cemetery itself, in an authentic Breton village whose rural architecture has hardly changed in two centuries, offers a striking change of scenery. Saint-Allouestre is a commune in the Morbihan hinterland, far from the hustle and bustle of the coast, where deep-rooted Brittany can be discovered in all its secret gravity and beauty.
Architecture
The calvary in the Saint-Allouestre cemetery is an accomplished example of 18th-century Breton funerary statuary, made entirely of granite, the material of choice for craftsmen in the interior of Brittany. It is made entirely of granite, the material of choice for craftsmen in the interior of Brittany. The ensemble is divided into two separate but interdependent parts: a rectangular altar base, on which is integrated an altarpiece stone carved in relief, and a large vertical shaft bearing the carved group of the calvary. The altar stone set into the plinth depicts a bust of the Virgin and an angel in bas-relief, treated with a relative delicacy that contrasts with the intended rusticity of the surrounding granite. This iconography - quite rare in this context - transforms the base of the calvary into a sort of mini-altar for private devotions during visits to the cemetery. The shaft, probably three to five metres high, is in the form of a monolithic column or a series of blocks, depending on local practice. It supports the cross on which Christ is depicted in the round, flanked by the two usual silhouettes of the Virgin Mary and Saint John, standing out against the sky - a visual effect that Mérimée's description expressly emphasises with the term "silhouetting". The overall effect is a balance between formal sobriety and symbolic richness, typical of artistic production in the interior of Morbihan in the modern period. The absence of polychromy and the natural patina of the granite give the monument a timeless gravity perfectly suited to its memorial function.
Related Figures
Tailleurs de pierre anonymes des ateliers de granit du Centre-Morbihan (XVIIIe siècle)Fabrique paroissiale de Saint-Allouestre (commanditaire présumé, XVIIIe siècle)Inspecteurs des Monuments Historiques ayant instruit la protection de 1934
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Cimetière de Saint-Allouestre located?
Cimetière de Saint-Allouestre is located in Saint-Allouestre, Département 56 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Cimetière de Saint-Allouestre built?
Cimetière de Saint-Allouestre dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Cimetière de Saint-Allouestre open to visitors?
Cimetière de Saint-Allouestre is currently closed to visitors.