Eglise Saint-Pierre
ChurchHidden Treasure
Eglise Saint-Pierre, located in Pédernec (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
- Pédernec, Département 22, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.5975, -3.2701
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00089368
Au cœur du Trégor breton, l'église Saint-Pierre de Pédernec mêle vestiges Renaissance du XVIe siècle et reconstruction victorienne, autour d'un maître-autel baroque signé des frères Le Cleuziat, joyau sculpté de 1680.
History
Discreetly tucked away in the market town of Pédernec, on the edge of the Côtes-d'Armor region, Saint-Pierre church is one of those Breton buildings that embody several centuries of faith, craftsmanship and endurance. Far from spectacular cathedrals, it offers the attentive visitor an almost archaeological reading of rural religious architecture: each stone, each arch, each chapel bears the trace of an era, a building site, a craftsman whose name has sometimes come down to us with rare precision. What makes Saint-Pierre truly unique is the harmonious coexistence between the remnants of the old 16th-century church - preserved in the south wing and sacristy - and the 1847 reconstruction led by architect Charles Kerleau de Penevan. This dialogue between the old and the rebuilt does not produce dissonance; on the contrary, it generates an atmosphere of historical density that is unusual for a country church. The interior holds the most beautiful surprise: the high altar, the work of sculptors Pierre and Maurice Le Cleuziat, created between 1680 and 1681, is a bravura piece of late-Breton Baroque. Its gilding, entrusted to Yves Goures and Pierre Jegat in 1684, still gleams today with an intensity that evokes the great religious achievements of Brittany in the Grand Siècle. Yves Le Corre's woodwork completes this ensemble of exceptional refinement for a rural parish. The exterior itself is well worth a look: the pinnacled gable with its three-mullioned window and rose window, the tower built in 1906 to plans by the architect Lageat, and the small chapel added to the west of the south transept make up a typically Breton silhouette, both sober and ornate. A visit to Saint-Pierre is just as much for lovers of sacred art as it is for enthusiasts of local history or regional religious architecture.
Architecture
Saint-Pierre church has a composite architecture, the result of several building campaigns. The current building, largely the result of the 1847 reconstruction, adopts a Latin cross plan with nave, aisles, transept and choir, a typical heritage of the Breton Gothic tradition revisited in the 19th century. The south wing and sacristy, which have been preserved from the original 16th-century church, reveal the characteristics of the region's late Gothic architecture: granite bonding, mullioned windows and pinnacled gables. These elements interact with the Victorian reconstruction without any major stylistic break, the grey granite stone dominating the whole and ensuring the visual coherence of the façade. The exterior is particularly noteworthy for its pinnacled gable, pierced by a three-mullioned window topped by a rose window - a composition typical of the Breton flamboyant Gothic style. The bell tower, built in 1906 to plans by the architect Lageat, continues the formal continuity of the building while giving it its emblematic verticality. A side chapel to the west was added to the south transept, adding to the overall volume of the building. The interior reveals an ingenious structural design: in the chapel adjacent to the transept, half-arches supporting the roof rest on the columns that support the semi-cylindrical vault of the south transept, creating a technically elegant interplay of forces and forms. The high altar, the most remarkable piece of furniture, occupies the chancel with a theatrical presence that is characteristic of the Breton Baroque style: wood carved in high relief, torso columns, abundant gilding and Christological iconography make up an altarpiece whose quality of execution rivals the finest works from Cornish workshops of the same period.
Related Figures
Pierre Le Cleuziat — sculpteur du maître-autel (1680-1681)Maurice Le Cleuziat — sculpteur du maître-autel (1680-1681)Yves Le Corre — menuisier ayant réalisé la menuiserie du maître-autelYves Goures — doreur du maître-autel (1684)Pierre Jegat — doreur du maître-autel (1684)Charles Kerleau de Penevan — architecte et entrepreneur de la reconstruction de 1847Lageat — architecte de la tour clocher (1906)
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Eglise Saint-Pierre located?
Eglise Saint-Pierre is located in Pédernec, Département 22 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Eglise Saint-Pierre built?
Eglise Saint-Pierre dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Eglise Saint-Pierre open to visitors?
Eglise Saint-Pierre is currently closed to visitors.
