One of the Church religious enclosures in Brittany, this one in Finistére, on the town of Commana. We left early on a wonderful day that saw temperatures go up to 23C or about 72F and sunny.
Commana is about 1h35 from our home and we left by car along the N165 to exit Morlaix , Plouay going into the D764 and D48 ; the town is right in the Parc Naturel Régional d’Armorique; a natural park passing by the famous Breton historical area of the Monts d’Arrée.
The enclosure or enclos paroissial de Commana is done around the Church of Saint Derrien. It was built in the 16C to 17C and it is considered one of the most beautiful in Brittany. It includes the Church, the enclosure itself, and the Arc de Triomphe.
The legend about this Saint Derrien is that he save from drowning the Prince Élorn ,by which the river now bears his name. Refusing to be given land in exchange for this good deed, the Saint demand that a church be built in Commana. So this was done in 1645.
The belltower is 57 meters high on one of the best hills of léon which are at 262 meters above sea level. The belltower looks straight , austere arid on the image of the semi desert Monts d’Arrée; the date of 1592 is engraved on the base.
Inside, you have the retables of Sainte Anne, a work of art baroque from the 17C more precise in 1682 ; there are two other retables those of the Rosary or Rosaire , and the Cinq-Plaies or Five Wounds.
The chapel retable of Sainte Anne, is a work of art baroque from the 17C, measuring 6 meters by 8 meters high. It is composed of three parts, in the middle the Virgin and Sainte Anne looking at the Enfant Child having in its left hand the globe of the world. See the two columns twisted and decorated in guirlandes of vines and leaves. The lateral niches enclosed Saint Joseph ,and Saint Joachim. Higher up you see the Sainte Virgin and the Angel Gabriel. Below it the throne of the Eternal Father held by two angels. At the summit you find Sainte Trinité and God Eternal Father holding his sons ,all built 1682.
The retable or altar chapel of the Rosary or Rosaire shows the statues of the Virgin and the Child offering the rosary to Saint Dominique and Sainte Catherine de Sienne. The two niches laterally enclosed the statues of Saint Joachim , and Saint Joseph. Below them, you see a figure of the Father and Mother presenting their Child to the Holy Virgin.
The central niche of the Chapel retable of the Cinq-Plaies shows the Lord showing its wounds. On the side two angels crowned in roses have a crown of thorns and nails ; showing laterally the statues of Sain Sébastien and Sainte Marguerite. They are dated from 1852. The image of these to the figures on the boat of the times makes you think that like the retable of Sainte Anne, they are done by the marines of Brest.
