Croix de chemin du 17e siècle
MonumentHidden Treasure
Croix de chemin du 17e siècle, located in Plémet (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
- Plémet, Département 22, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.1752, -2.5739
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00089410
Standing at the crossroads of Breton roads since the 17th century, this Plémet cross made of local granite embodies the popular fervour and rich iconography of the rural heritage of the Côtes-d'Armor.
History
In the heart of the Loudéac region, in the commune of Plémet, a wayside cross has stood silently for over three centuries at one of the crossroads that the Bretons used to call "penn-hent", the hinge between the world of the living and that of the invisible. Listed as a historic monument by decree in 1927, it is one of a constellation of calvaries and votive crosses that dot the Armorican countryside in a density unmatched in France. What sets this cross apart from the countless other devotional landmarks that mark the roads of inland Brittany is the quality of its workmanship and the remarkable state of its preservation. Carved from grey granite quarried in Morbihan and Côtes-d'Armor, it has the slender shaft and sculpted cross typical of local workshops in the 17th century, a period of post-Tridentine devotional renewal that saw a multitude of devotional works flourish on the initiative of parishes, brotherhoods and rural notables. The visit is as much an experience of the work itself as of its unchanging setting: the dense hedged farmland and sunken lanes of Plémet form a green setting that reinforces the feeling of timelessness. The attentive walker will be able to observe the iconographic details engraved on the cross - Christ on the cross on one side, the Virgin Mary or the patron saint on the other - in the tradition of Breton stonemasons. In a region where every village has its own cross, the cross at Plémet enjoys rare institutional recognition for this type of heritage object, a sign of its artistic and historical value, which was judged to be exceptional between the wars. It is part of an area rich in popular religious heritage, a long way from the chapels and parish enclosures for which Brittany is famous.
Architecture
The Plémet cross is typical of the Breton roadside cross of the 17th century: a monolithic shaft with a slightly swollen quadrangular cross-section, resting on a stepped base of carved granite, and ending in a cross carved in the round. The bluish-grey granite used, which is typical of quarries in Central Brittany, lends a robust austerity to the whole, tempered by the relative finesse of the iconography. On the main face of the cross, the depiction of Christ on the Cross - with its stylised anatomical rendering typical of Breton carvers of the period, far removed from the naturalism of contemporary Île-de-France - is striking for its restrained expressiveness. The reverse side traditionally features a Virgin and Child or an effigy of the patron saint of the parish. The arms of the cross, enlarged into a Latin cross, may feature motifs in bas-relief: Passion reeds, angels' heads or stylised foliage, a decorative vocabulary common to the Cornish and Tregor workshops active in this type of commission. Estimated to be between two and three metres high (excluding the plinth) - typical dimensions for a crossroads cross from this period - the cross displays the architectural restraint that distinguishes the work of the Penthièvre and Loudéacien regions from the great monumental calvaries of Finistère. It is precisely this restraint that makes it a representative and precious example of popular religious art in the Côtes-d'Armor during the Grand Siècle.
Related Figures
Recteur de la paroisse de Plémet au XVIIe siècle (commanditaire probable de l'érection)Tailleur de pierre local breton du XVIIe siècle (auteur présumé de la sculpture)Donateur paroissial anonyme (financeur vraisemblable, selon la tradition des croix votives)Membres de la Commission des Monuments Historiques (responsables de l'inscription de 1927)Prosper Mérimée (inspecteur général des monuments historiques, initiateur de la politique d'inventaire du patrimoine rural français)
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Croix de chemin du 17e siècle located?
Croix de chemin du 17e siècle is located in Plémet, 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.
