Eglise Saint-Loup
ChurchHidden Treasure
Eglise Saint-Loup, located in Lanloup (Département 22), 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
- Lanloup, Département 22, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.7141, -2.9642
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00089254
Nestling in the Goëlo region of Brittany, Saint-Loup church in Lanloup features a 16th-century porch with apostles and a bell tower with three bells, a discreet jewel that has been listed as a Historic Monument since 1910.
History
In the heart of the village of Lanloup, just a stone's throw from the Côte des Ajoncs in the Côtes-d'Armor, Saint-Loup church stands with the serenity of buildings that have stood the test of time without trying to impose. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1910, it belongs to that family of Breton rural churches whose modest facades conceal an architectural and decorative wealth that surprises the attentive visitor. What immediately sets Saint-Loup apart is its vaulted side porch, a veritable stone gallery featuring statues of the twelve apostles. In the tradition of the apostle porches so characteristic of Breton religious architecture, this transitional space between the secular world and the sacred space provides a complete iconographic programme, rare and precious for a parish of this size. Above the porch, a high room accessible by a discreet staircase is a reminder of medieval practice, when parish treasuries and archives found refuge in these raised, secure spaces. The west facade has another surprise in store: a bell tower with three bells that punctuates the silhouette of the building with an almost southern feel. This singular architectural choice, which is rarer than the traditional tower belfries of Brittany, gives the whole structure a strong architectural personality. Near the church, the parish calvary completes the picture. Its base is engraved with the date 1758, indicating that it was remodelled under the Ancien Régime, but the shaft and upper sculpted section appear to be from an earlier period, perhaps the 16th century, suggesting several generations of devotion superimposed on the same monument. To visit Saint-Loup is to enter the intimacy of an authentic Brittany, far from the overcrowded tourist circuits, where heritage can be discovered at the bend of a sunken path lined with flower-bedecked banks.
Architecture
Saint-Loup church has a simple longitudinal plan, typical of Breton rural parish buildings of the 15th-16th centuries, with a main nave and an east-facing chancel. The stonework is probably in local blue-grey granite, an almost universal material in the Côtes-d'Armor, whose resistance to Atlantic weathering explains the good conservation of the exterior sculptures. The vaulted side porch is the architectural centrepiece of the building. Covered by a vault with prismatic ribs or a broken barrel vault in the Breton tradition, it houses the statues of the twelve apostles in its niches, an arrangement inherited from the great tradition of porches with an iconographic programme developed in Brittany from the 15th century onwards. The upper room, which is accessible from inside, probably has an oak frame and opens to the outside through one or more small windows. The west facade is distinguished by its three-bell campanile, an openwork stone structure that replaces a massive tower bell. Lighter and less costly to build, this structure nevertheless provided the bell tower function that was essential to village life. The parish calvary, located in the adjoining cemetery, combines an 18th-century granite base with a Renaissance-style shaft and sculpted cross, creating a devotional ensemble typical of Breton popular piety.
Related Figures
Saint Loup de Sens — évêque du VIIe siècle, saint patron de l'église, dont le culte est attesté dans plusieurs paroisses de l'Arcoat bretonRecteurs de Lanloup des XVe-XVIe siècles — commanditaires anonymes de la construction de l'édifice et du porche à apôtresFabriciens de 1758 — membres de la fabrique paroissiale qui ordonnèrent la restauration du calvaire et firent graver la date sur le socleInspecteurs des Monuments Historiques de 1910 — responsables du classement précoce de l'édifice, reconnaissant sa valeur patrimoniale exceptionnelle
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Eglise Saint-Loup located?
Eglise Saint-Loup is located in Lanloup, Département 22 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Eglise Saint-Loup built?
Eglise Saint-Loup dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Eglise Saint-Loup open to visitors?
Eglise Saint-Loup is currently closed to visitors.