So I am back in my road warrior ways around my lovely Bretagne. Not a place to spare and love it, great countryside of my belle France. The experts announce rains and wind, but as Bretons says well better not put it here…. We went out anyway and nothing, all glory on the roads of my Bretagne!
Always searching for new places and repeating some oldies but goodies, this time went into uncharted territory in the neighboring country and found La Chèze! Let Me tell you a bit more about it ok;hope you enjoy it
The small town of La Chèze is located in the Côtes-d’Armor department 22 of the region of Bretagne inhabited by 563 residents!!. La Chèze is crossed by the Lié river , and in the center of the village is a pond.
La Chèze is a dismemberment of the former primitive parish of Plumieux. La Chèze is mentioned in 1239 and comes under the deanery of Penthièvre, but belongs to the county of Porhoët. The Chèze form can be found from 1241. The town developed around the Château de la Chèze, built by Eudon II, the viscount of Porhoët from 1142 to 1180. Following the Protestant rebellion of Duke Henri de Rohan in 1628, Louis XIII had his property seized. Richelieu ordered the dismantling to begin. In 1743, for unknown reasons, the General of the Parish of Loudéac authorized the dismantling of the castle for the benefit of the construction of the new church of Loudéac and many houses in rue de Loudéac and rue de Pontivy. From 1779 to 1820, the castle was the subject of successive sales. Around 1857 took place the almost total destruction of the remains. The castle is now in ruins. The village has tried to rebuilt first with a tower and musical festivals are held around it.
An interesting country museum call the Musée Régional des Métiers was installed in the old tannery built on the edge of the Lié river , the Allaire family in 1880, built the regional crafts museum presenting today ,the ways of living, mores, customs and habits of artisans of the time. I went int but the walk was long and instead took pictures of the outside and the picturesque library!
The main monument to see is the church and very high significance in the lives of Bretagne as we have a monastery of the order near me, (see post in Brech). Let me tell you more about it ok
The Saint André Church, formerly Notre-Dame-de-la-Croix Chapel, which became a parish church shortly after 1806. This is the Chapel, which dates from the 11C. This chapel was restored in 1707 by Louis Grignon de Montfort who established a Brotherhood of the Cross there. Around 1806, it replaced the old parish church of the Madeleine, mentioned in 1424 and destroyed during the French revolution. The granite baptismal font dates from the 15C and bears the arms of the families of Clisson, Rohan and Navarre ; it appears to be the baptismal font of the old chapel of the castle, property of the Dukes of Rohan. The pulpit dates from the 18C. An octagonal schist stone dating from the 11C can be found on the floor of the Saint-André Church, the stone is part of the original paving of the first chapel. The large arches of the transept square date from the 15C. At the entrance to the choir on the right, the altar from 1888 and the statue of Father de Montfort. At the crossroads of the transepts, seated on their clouds, the 4 evangelists with their traditional symbols: the angel for Matthew, the lion for Mark, the bull for Luke, and the eagle for John.
The Saint André Church is a place of pilgrimage in memory of the creator of the Montfortian order. Louis Grignon de Montfort was staying at La Chèze at the Manoir de la Grange. In 1418, Saint Vincent Ferrier, called by Alain VIII, viscount of Rohan, to organize a mission, discovered the ruins. He announces that a missionary will pick her up. Later, indeed a missionary named Louis Grignon de Montfort came in 1707 and ordered the reconstruction of the original chapel and established there a Brotherhood of the Cross which will remain famous until the French revolution.
There is difficult to find information on this small village and church, the info above is from panels by the church and some from this site in French , calling it the Central Brittany webpage on the St André Church: http://www.centrebretagne.com/office-de-tourisme/decouvrir/patrimoine/un-chapelet-dedifices-religieux/eglise-saint-andre-a-la-cheze.html
There you go folks, going around and things comes around. Goodies of my lovely Bretagne even in remote in land villages like La Chèze, and I am just touching the surface as the saying goes. There is architecture, history, and foodies to take me the rest of my lifetime. Thanks for joining me along, well worth it me think!
And remember, happy travels, good health,and many cheers to all!!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 
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