Moving right along in my road warrior tendencies and using my local area for input to expand on previous posts where credit was not done me think. I have come again to Erdeven, a beach resort with many nice monuments, of which, one is the Chapelle de la Vrai Croix or Chapel of the True Cross.
Erdeven is in my dept 56 Morbihan just south of me on the coast. The name of Erdeven comes from the Breton “ar en tewen” or on the dune.
Just across the Church St Pierre et St Paul (see post) is the Chapelle of Lann Groez or the True Cross, Vrai Croix in French. There are other 7 chapels in the area !!! The Chapelle de la Vraie Croix (or True Cross) in Breton Langroës. It is also called the chapel of the True Cross, Notre-Dame de Pitié or Chapel of the Congregation. The south door is built in basket handle. It is adorned with a cabbage brace topped with a floret. Two pilasters decorated with circles and diamonds surround it. Above: a shield and a phylactery carried by two angels.
The Chapel of the True Cross dates from the middle of the 16C such as the south door. Its founders are not identified so the chapel stays pretty much undocumented. As the cadastral plan of 1811 indicates, its corner almost touched the apse of the parish Church St Pierre et St Paul, while an alley allowed to bypass it. In 1826, the city council decided to abandon the chapel of the Virgin located at the bottom of the town and to restore that of the True Cross which is now dedicated to Notre Dame de Pitié or Our Lady of Pity and is used for Congregation meetings. It was probably at this time that the chapel was first shortened on the side gable for traffic reasons. However, in 1957, the western facade was further set back 5 meters. Currently disused, the chapel has lost a large part of its furniture.
Today, the Chapel of the True Cross has a short rectangular plan, with a polygonal apse. The chapel is constructed of medium-sized freestone, with slate wedges. It is covered with a long pan roof, with a gable and croups on the cut sides . It has a small sacristy hidden in the northeast corner. Trace of a door and a rectangular bay with a large interior opening now permanently closed. The south facade has a door, in place, adorned with Renaissance decor. The western facade with its steeple supported by a slightly protruding massif, is a reassembly of that built in the 19C. An exterior bench is partially preserved on the south side. Inside, there is a vestige of a holy water baptismal font, the decoration of which is broken, of a columned credenza, the upper part of which is also truncated by the boring of a window. A recent paneled cradle hides the old roofing devices.
A bit of info from the Bay of Quiberon tourist office not really worth it than for the directions; I have my information from brochures in the Chapel as text above. Bay of Quiberon tourist office on the Chapel
The city of Erdeven with tourist office practical information: City of Erdeven with tourism practical information
And there you go a brief note in my blog for another nice monument in my lovely Morbihan of my beautiful Bretagne and my belle France. A never ending travelogue of exquisite things to see.Hope you have enjoy the brief tour of Erdeven and the chapel and do see my other posts on Erdeven, on the dune!
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 