Fontaine du 16e siècle de Rumengol
MonumentHidden Treasure
Fontaine du 16e siècle de Rumengol, located in Le Faou (Département 29), 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
- Le Faou, Département 29, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.3025, -4.1476
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00089927
Nestling in the leafy setting of Rumengol, this 16th-century votive fountain embodies the mystical soul of Brittany: its elaborate semi-circular arch, spitting gargoyles and water reputed to be miraculous have attracted pilgrims and travellers for five centuries.
History
In the heart of the Rumengol peninsula, in the commune of Le Faou in Finistère, stands one of the most beautiful 16th-century Breton votive fountains. Listed as a historic monument since 1926, it bears eloquent witness to the Marian fervour that permeated Lower Brittany at the time, when every spring was seen as a gift from heaven and every fountain as a doorway to the sacred. Its slender silhouette, carved from the characteristic grey-blue granite of the region, stands out with austere elegance against the dense green backdrop that surrounds the sanctuary. What makes this fountain truly singular is the precision of its sculpted decoration, remarkably well preserved despite the centuries. The craftsmen who built it - the itinerant stonemasons who travelled the length and breadth of Cornouaille and Léon - were able to combine late Gothic rigour with timid Renaissance inflections in the treatment of the mouldings and pinnacles, producing an architectural object that is both humble and refined. A visit here is like a contemplative pause. The water still gushes out of the stone spout with the same constancy as on the days of the great pardons, and visitors who kneel before the basin immediately understand why generations of Bretons have made this place an anchor for their faith. The light, filtered through the foliage, plays on the facets of the granite and reveals the sculpted details with a softness that changes according to the time of day and the season. Rumengol, with its church of Notre-Dame and the Stations of the Cross that encircle it, is one of the most intact centres of popular devotion in Finistère. The fountain is its most discreet and touching jewel, the one you discover after the large façade of the church, like a secret kept at the end of a moss-covered path.
Architecture
The Rumengol fountain belongs to the type of fountain-edicule, a characteristic form of Breton votive buildings of the 16th century. It has a frontal plan, with a single, slightly projecting façade housing the holy water basin beneath a round arch with carefully matching keystones. This arch, the jambs of which rest on short columns with soberly moulded capitals, is the central architectural element and lends the whole an impression of discreet dignity typical of the late Breton Gothic style. Local granite, medium-grained and of a grey-blue hue, is the building's exclusive raw material. The carving is precise, almost dry, with no superfluous ornamentation, but with remarkable care in the outlining of the profiles. Gargoyles or stone spouts ensure that water flows from the upper register into the basin, using a traditional hydraulic system that exploits the natural slope of the land. A triangular pediment or a crown with Gothic pinnacles and hooks probably crowns the whole, echoing the decorative vocabulary of door surrounds and niches with statuettes found on contemporary parish enclosures in the region. The central niche, designed to house a statuette of the Virgin, is bordered by groove and cavet mouldings that bear witness to the training of the craftsmen in the tradition of Cornish workshops. The basin, carved out of a granite monolith, slopes slightly towards the gargoyle, testifying to the precise technical thinking that went into its primary function: to provide passing pilgrims with a constant supply of fresh water.
Related Figures
Évêques de Quimper du XVIe siècle — commanditaires présumés ou protecteurs des chantiers religieux de CornouailleRecteur de Rumengol (anonyme, XVIe s.) — initiateur probable de la campagne d'embellissement du sanctuaireChanoine Jean-Marie Abgrall (1840-1926) — archéologue breton qui documenta les fontaines et enclos paroissiaux du FinistèreArtisans tailleurs de pierre cornouaillais (anonymes) — bâtisseurs des enclos paroissiaux et fontaines de la région au XVIe siècleConfrérie Notre-Dame de Rumengol — association de pèlerins qui entretint et finança le site pendant des siècles
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Fontaine du 16e siècle de Rumengol located?
Fontaine du 16e siècle de Rumengol is located in Le Faou, Département 29 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Fontaine du 16e siècle de Rumengol built?
Fontaine du 16e siècle de Rumengol dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Fontaine du 16e siècle de Rumengol open to visitors?
Fontaine du 16e siècle de Rumengol is currently closed to visitors.
