Croix de chemin du 17e siècle
MonumentHidden Treasure
Croix de chemin du 17e siècle, located in Bégard (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
- Bégard, Département 22, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.6046, -3.3161
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00089019
Erected in the 17th century in Bégard, this Breton roadside cross, listed as a Historic Monument, fascinates visitors with its praying figure sculpted at the feet of Christ - a rare example of Armorican popular devotion.
History
At the crossroads of time and faith, the Bégard wayside cross stands like a granite jalон shaped by the hands of 17th-century men. In the Côtes-d'Armor region, where calvaries and crossroads crosses still dot the Breton bocage, this monument stands out for the finesse of its iconography: right in the stone, a kneeling figure in prayer occupies the space beneath the feet of the crucified Christ, a silent dialogue between the faithful and the divine that few other rural crosses dared to depict with such intimacy. This type of monument, which the Bretons like to call "croaz hent" - the cross of the road - belongs to a centuries-old tradition of popular religious expression deeply rooted in Armorican identity. In Bégard, a commune in the Trégor region, these markers of collective devotion punctuated procession routes, marked parish boundaries and offered weary travellers a place to stop and pray. The sculptural richness of the latter goes far beyond its utilitarian function, to give it the status of a work of art in its own right. A visit to this cross is an intimate, contemplative experience, far removed from the tourist crowds. It invites you to come face-to-face with Breton religious craftsmanship at its most sincere: direct, unadorned sculpture in which the stonecutter has etched the fervour of an entire community into the grey granite. To observe the detail of the supplicant, the folds of his garment, the tilt of his head, is to grasp something profoundly human across the centuries. The natural, rural setting of Bégard, between the moors and hedged farmland of inland Trégor, further enhances the unique atmosphere of this monument. The golden lichens that colonise the granite bear witness to its great age and give the stone a patina that no restoration can imitate. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1925, the cross is protected to ensure that it can be passed on to future generations.
Architecture
The Bégard cross belongs to the well-established type of Breton cross made of granite, a material that is omnipresent in the architectural landscape of the Côtes-d'Armor. The local rock, grey and dense, offers both the durability needed for monuments exposed to the elements and a surface that allows for precise sculptural work, even if its strength requires robust tools and an expert hand. The composition of the cross follows the classic pattern of rural crosses in the region: a vertical shaft raised on a plinth, topped by a crossbeam forming the Latin cross, with the crucified Christ carved in relief on the main face. The remarkable feature of this monument is the presence of a praying figure beneath the feet of Christ. This motif, inherited from medieval iconography, blends harmoniously into the vertical composition of the cross and creates a narrative tension between the divine and the human, between the transcendence of Christ and the humility of the suppliant. The sculptural treatment bears witness to a strong regional style, characteristic of 17th-century Breton art: simplified but expressive volumes, frontal figures and a taste for clothing detail. The patina of the granite, enriched by centuries of exposure to the elements and lichenic colonisation, now accentuates the monument's plastic presence and gives it a poetic austerity that is perfectly suited to the Trégor landscape.
Related Figures
Artisan tailleur de pierre breton anonyme (XVIIe siècle) — sculpteur présumé de la croixDonateur anonyme de la paroisse de Bégard — commanditaire probable du monumentPère Julien Maunoir (1606-1683) — missionnaire breton dont l'action évangélisatrice inspira l'érection de nombreuses croix de chemin en BretagnePersonnage sculpté anonyme — l'orant représenté aux pieds du Christ, figure de dévotion immortalisée dans le granit
Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Croix de chemin du 17e siècle located?
Croix de chemin du 17e siècle is located in Bégard, Département 22 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Croix de chemin du 17e siècle built?
Croix de chemin du 17e siècle dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Croix de chemin du 17e siècle open to visitors?
Croix de chemin du 17e siècle is currently closed to visitors.