Eglise Saint-Conogan
ChurchHidden Treasure
Eglise Saint-Conogan, located in Lanvénégen (Département 56), is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- Church
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- Lanvénégen, Département 56, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.9980, -3.5421
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00091355
In the heart of Morbihan, the church of Saint-Conogan in Lanvénégen displays its flamboyant mullions and ancient stained glass windows in an exceptional Breton Gothic setting, dating from 1508.
History
Nestling in the discreet village of Lanvénégen, on the borders of Morbihan and Finistère, the church of Saint-Conogan is one of those architectural gems that inland Brittany has in store for curious travellers. Away from the beaten tourist track, this 16th-century edifice reveals with sober elegance the mastery of Breton builders during the Gothic Renaissance, a period of great building fervour in the region. What immediately sets Saint-Conogan apart is the remarkable coherence of its architectural programme: three naves, a bell tower with an aerial daylight, a transept arm to the south and, to the north, a series of pedimented windows crowned with flamboyant mullions of exceptional finesse. The famous north chevet window, with its central mullion and inverted tympanum heart, is a rare decorative motif, almost unique in the repertoire of Morbihan religious architecture. Visitors entering the building are greeted by the light filtering through the ancient stained glass windows that bathe the nave in soft, colourful light. These stained glass windows, which have survived the centuries with relative integrity, give the interior an atmosphere of contemplation and light. The eye naturally falls on the commemorative erection stone set into an archway in the nave, engraved with the date 1508 - a lapidary testimony to the ambition and piety of the parishioners of the time. The rural setting of the village of Lanvénégen completes the experience: the Pays Pourleth, with its gentle hills and wooded valleys, offers an environment of absolute tranquillity. Lovers of Breton Gothic architecture, photographers in search of interior lighting and local history enthusiasts will find plenty to marvel at here. A one-hour visit is enough to cover the essentials, but the soul of the place often invites you to stay longer.
Architecture
Saint-Conogan church has a three-aisled plan, with a south aisle and a transept arm, giving the building a partial Latin cross silhouette, common in the large rural Breton parishes of the 16th century. The slender, openwork bell tower, in the Breton Gothic tradition, punctuates the west facade and is the first visual landmark from the town. The building's ornamental vocabulary is entirely late flamboyant Gothic, which was common in Brittany until 1540-1560, well after the Classical Renaissance had conquered the Île-de-France region. The flamboyant mullions in the windows of the north aisle illustrate this persistence of style: their bellows-like and speckled curves create characteristic effects of lightness and movement. The north chevet window is particularly remarkable, with its central mullion and tympanum decorated with an inverted heart, a symbolic motif of rare elegance. The pedimented windows in the same aisle bear witness to a slight Renaissance influence, perceptible in the more rigorous geometry of their frames. Inside, the arcades of the main nave open onto carefully-treated aisles. The commemorative stone dating from 1508, set into one of these arcades, is as much an architectural document as a historical one. The old stained glass windows, whose chromatic palette enhances the interior light, represent most of the building's movable heritage. The materials used are those of traditional Breton construction: granite and kersantite for the sculpted elements, slate for the roof - durable materials that partly explain the exceptional longevity of the whole.
Related Figures
Saint Conogan — saint patron breton du premier millénaire, figure tutélaire de la paroisse à laquelle l'église est dédiéeLes maîtres maçons anonymes de 1508 — bâtisseurs de l'édifice, probablement issus des ateliers actifs dans le Morbihan intérieur au tournant du XVIe siècleLes recteurs successifs de Lanvénégen — figures ecclésiastiques ayant veillé à la conservation de l'édifice tout au long des XVIIe-XIXe sièclesLes verriers bretons du XVIe siècle — artisans auteurs des vitraux anciens, appartenant à la tradition des ateliers vitraux actifs en Bretagne à la RenaissanceLes inspecteurs des Monuments Historiques — agents du service des Beaux-Arts ayant instruit et obtenu l'inscription de l'église le 24 avril 1925
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Eglise Saint-Conogan located?
Eglise Saint-Conogan is located in Lanvénégen, Département 56 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Eglise Saint-Conogan built?
Eglise Saint-Conogan dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Eglise Saint-Conogan open to visitors?
Eglise Saint-Conogan is currently closed to visitors.