Croix du 17e siècle
MonumentHidden Treasure
Croix du 17e siècle, located in Ploumilliau (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
- Ploumilliau, Département 22, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.6702, -3.4943
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00089498
Built in the 17th century in Brittany's Trégor region, this roadside cross in Ploumilliau epitomises post-Reformation Catholic fervour in Lower Brittany, with its kersanton or granite sculpture typical of Armorican workshops.
History
At the crossroads of the ancient roads in Ploumilliau, in the heart of the Trégor region, stands a roadside cross whose familiar silhouette is anything but ordinary. Monumental in its discretion, it belongs to the constellation of calvaries and crosses that criss-cross the Breton countryside like so many spiritual landmarks, offering travellers a landmark as much as a call to prayer. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1926, it has been officially recognised for its heritage value in an area that is particularly rich in rural sacred art. What sets this cross apart from the many other works of devotion scattered across the Côtes-d'Armor region is the quality of its sculptural workmanship, typical of the workshops in Trégor in the 17th century. During this period of Catholic revival following the Council of Trent, Breton parishes vied with each other in piety by commissioning crosses whose Christ-like statuary and figures of saints reflected a highly expressive folk art. The Christ on the Cross, often accompanied by the Virgin Mary and Saint John, stands out on a slender shaft with a plastic intensity that testifies to the skill of local stonemasons. The experience of visiting the site is as much one of contemplation as it is of close observation. Get up close to the cross and you'll be able to spot the sculpted details that the distracted eye misses: the folds in the linen, the expression on Christ's face, and sometimes the traces of wear and tear left by the centuries and the bite of the sea wind. This dialogue between stone and time is one of the profound beauties of these monuments, which you can only pass by in passing, but which are well worth a visit. Ploumilliau's setting adds to the emotion of the discovery. A Breton village in the Trégor region, it is set in a landscape of hedged farmland, moorland and gentle valleys that have inspired a tenacious popular devotion for centuries. Nearby, the parish church and other wayside crosses make up a veritable open-air museum of 17th-century Breton art, inviting visitors on a heritage trail that's as rewarding as it is intimate.
Architecture
The cross at Ploumilliau is a typical example of a 17th-century work from Trégor: a monolithic shaft in local granite with a square or slightly frustoconical cross-section, standing on a stepped base that gives it height and dignity. The cross, with its arms outstretched in a Latin cross, has a Christ in relief at its centre, whose sculpture, although subject to the conventions of Breton folk art, bears witness to a certain mastery of direct carving in hard stone. The statuary reserves the main side for the representation of the crucified Christ, often accompanied by the Virgin of Pity or a local saint standing on the reverse of the shaft, as was common practice in the workshops of Trégor. The treatment of the faces and drapery, deliberately expressive and frontal, corresponds to the visual language of popular devotions of the Counter-Reformation, more concerned with the legibility of the spiritual message than with academic refinement. The granite used, probably quarried near Lannion or in the Plouaret region, gives the piece its characteristic bluish-grey hue. This very hard material explains the relatively good preservation of the reliefs despite four centuries of Atlantic weathering. The moss and lichen that inevitably colonise the surface add a precious temporal dimension to the monument's patina, making it as much a living object as a frozen witness to the past.
Related Figures
Michel Le Nobletz — missionnaire breton du XVIIe siècle, artisan du renouveau catholique en Trégor et LéonPère Julien Maunoir — jésuite évangélisateur de la Bretagne, contemporain de l'érection de la croixFabriciens de la paroisse de Ploumilliau — commanditaires probables de l'œuvre au XVIIe siècleTailleurs de pierre trégorois — artisans anonymes des ateliers locaux ayant sculpté la croixInspecteurs des Monuments Historiques — responsables de l'inscription protectrice du 31 mars 1926
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Croix du 17e siècle located?
Croix du 17e siècle is located in Ploumilliau, Département 22 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Croix du 17e siècle built?
Croix du 17e siècle dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Croix du 17e siècle open to visitors?
Croix du 17e siècle is currently closed to visitors.
