Croix du cimetière en pierre
MonumentHidden Treasure
Croix du cimetière en pierre, located in Maure-de-Bretagne (Département 35), 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
- Maure-de-Bretagne, Département 35, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.8912, -1.9870
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00090624
A sculpted jewel from the 16th century, this Breton cemetery cross displays an iconographic programme of rare finesse beneath its three-lobed arches: Christ, the Virgin Mary, saints and angels together in stone.
History
In the heart of the cemetery in Maure-de-Bretagne, Ille-et-Vilaine, stands a stone cross that has defied the test of time since the 16th century. Far from the simple funerary crosses that dot the Breton countryside, this one belongs to a category of open-air works of art: monumental crosses with a sculpted programme, bearing witness to popular piety as much as to exceptional craftsmanship. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1910, it is one of the most unusual examples of rural stone statuary in Brittany. What makes this cross absolutely unique is the fact that the traditional arms of the cross have been replaced by a rectangular surface - a stone tablet - on which narrative scenes of remarkable iconographic density are arranged under flamboyant Gothic-style three-lobed arches. Each face of the shaft, rectangular in plan with canted sides, reveals a different character or scene, transforming the monument into a veritable stone book for the edification of the faithful. A visit to this cross is an experience of slow, almost medieval contemplation. You have to go all the way round it, face by face, to grasp its theological coherence: Christ crucified accompanied by two holy women to the west, the Virgin and Child escorted by thurifer angels to the east, Saint Remy beheaded to the north, Saint Peter wearing a tiara and carrying his keys to the south. Four faces, four mysteries, a single work. The setting reinforces the emotion: the Breton cemetery, with its old granite walls, its family tombs and the tranquillity of the Ille-et-Vilaine countryside, lends the cross a natural solemnity. The low-angled morning or afternoon light reveals the contours of the relief with photographic precision, bringing out every fold of the drapery, every expression set in stone.
Architecture
The cemetery cross in Maure-de-Bretagne rests on a rectangular shaft with canted sides - a partial octagonal shape that gives the whole a visual lightness and allows the articulation of several narrative faces. This type of shaft, typical of 16th-century Breton lapidary, reflects both an aesthetic and a functional concern: to offer the viewer several angles from which to read the cemetery's pathways. The most striking feature is the transformation of the arms of the cross into a solid rectangular surface, framed by three-lobed arcades of flamboyant Gothic inspiration. These arcatures, with their lobes delicately cut into the stone, create narrative niches housing the sacred figures: to the west, Christ on the Cross flanked by two women at prayer; to the east, the Virgin and Child honoured by two thurifer angels; to the north, Saint Remy with his head cut off; to the south, Saint Peter with tiara and keys. This four-sided layout, oriented according to the points of the compass, is a typical feature of Breton crosses with a complete iconographic programme. The stone used is probably local granite or limestone, the dominant materials for construction and statuary in Ille-et-Vilaine in the 16th century. The carving shows an undeniable mastery of the craft: the draping of the figures, the details of the episcopal and apostolic attributes, and the finesse of the arches bear witness to a sculptor trained in a well-established tradition of companionship, probably from workshops in the Rennes or Bretillian region.
Related Figures
Saint Rémy — évêque de Reims, évangélisateur des Francs, représenté décapité sur la face nord de la croixSaint Pierre — premier pape de l'Église catholique, figuré avec tiare et clefs sur la face sudLa Vierge Marie — représentée à l'est avec l'Enfant Jésus, entourée d'anges encenseursLe Christ en croix — scène centrale de la face ouest, accompagné de deux saintes femmes en prièreProsper Mérimée — inspecteur général des Monuments Historiques dont l'action de recensement du patrimoine rural a contribué à la sauvegarde de monuments tels que cette croix
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Croix du cimetière en pierre located?
Croix du cimetière en pierre is located in Maure-de-Bretagne, Département 35 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Croix du cimetière en pierre built?
Croix du cimetière en pierre dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Croix du cimetière en pierre open to visitors?
Croix du cimetière en pierre is currently closed to visitors.
