Paris1972-Versailles2003

So, here I am again telling you about a little town of my beautiful Morbihan not far from me and briefly mentioned before in my blog. I figure deserves a post of its own to showcase these wonderful off the beaten path towns of mine; all full of architecture and history. Hope you enjoy Landauvan as much as I.

Lanvaudan is located in the Morbihan department 56 , in the region of Bretagne. The town is best known for its old rural habitat which has been largely preserved with its low freestone houses and thatched roofs.  There is no city / town hall as the town is less than 1K folks, the office locally is at 1, Place de la Mairie. The Breton name of the Lanvaudan combines the terms lann designating a consecrated place and the name of a saint: Modan. The town is watered by the Blavet river.

The town, historically, is part of the Vannes country. The primitive parish of Lanvaudan depended on the lordship of Kemenet-Heboé but in 1238, the lordship was dismembered by the Duke of Brittany, Jean Ier Le Roux, who confiscated the lands of Olivier de Lanvaux. Jehan Jegado was ennobled by the Duke of Brittany, François Ier, in 1447. He distinguished himself at the battle of Montlhéry in 1465. There are only two pillars of the main portal, a semicircular building, the old stable and some remains of the chapel. The castle would have been razed by the Vicomte de Saint-Georges, mayor of Pluvigner, at the end of the 19C.

The town of Lanvaudan is made up of several old typical thatched roof houses. A granite lion located in front of one of them is remarkable. The old houses have been restored and the electricity network has been buried underground.  A skirmish between Chouans (against French revolution) and Republicans (French revolutionaries) took place on April 15, 1796 in the presbytery. The presbytery is separated from the parish enclosure by a wall pierced with a door. The Saint-Maudez devotional fountain is located at the bottom of the town at rue de la Fontaine. It also served as a domestic fountain, which perhaps explains its shape, circular and covered, comparable to a well. The aedicule houses a statue of Saint Maudez, a copy of the original preserved in the church.

The feature presentation of Lanvaudan is the Church of Saint Maudez

The Church of Saint-Maudez or Church of Saint-Mandé is at place Saint-Maudé. The parish church was built in 1642 and dedicated to Saint Maudez, a monk of the 5-6C. The first church was mentioned in the 14C. The first was destroyed and a second church was built in 1642. The Church is constructed in a refined way, formed of simples lines, on the basis of a Latin cross plane to a nave and flat bedside walls are built of granite and stone and the roof is covered with slate.

The Interior of the church, albeit very little decorated, contains, in addition to the main altar dedicated to the Saint, two secondary altars dedicated to the Virgin Mary and Saint Roch . It bears the mark of various stylistic elements borrowed as well from the Greek Antiqué such as in the west gate, and spans of the nave in force between the 15C and the 17C. The continuation at a late date mid-19C of the Breton formula with the porch tower with lateral turrets and open bell tower is perhaps one of the ultimate examples of the genre. In addition, the interior of the church is to be noted, especially for its false vault with starry celestial blue and the preservation of all its furniture from the old sanctuary. It testifies to the wealth of its donors; the Lords under the old regime and the rich farmers in the 19C.

The town of Lanvaudan on its heritage: http://lanvaudan.fr/patrimoine/

The Lorient south Brittany tourist office on Lanvaudan: https://www.lorientbretagnesudtourisme.fr/fr/villes-et-villages/lanvaudan/

Let me bring you back north of the Morbihan to another off the beaten path place and really worth the stop especially for its gastronomic fame and the architecture of its monuments. This is a bit of an introduction to Guémené sur Scorff. 

Guémené-sur-Scorff is located in the Morbihan department 56 , in the region of Bretagne. Located in Argoat, it is considered the capital of the Pourlet Country. Today it owes its fame above all to its gastronomic specialty: andouille de Guémené.

The history of Guémené is largely linked to that of its castle. The city owes its development to the presence of the latter. Guémené, at the beginning, was only a simple truce dependent on the parish of Locmalo. The stronghold of Kemenet-Guegant was absorbed at the beginning of the 12C by Alain Ier de Rohan, a member of the Rohan family. It was at this time that the feudal motte was replaced by a stone castle, including keep and dwelling. The castle gradually falls into ruins, even serving as a quarry for building houses; the keep was demolished in 1693. In 1843 the castle was acquired by the de Launay family, who in 1860 built a private residence, in neoclassical style ,currently the city/town hall, in the very heart of the old castle. Some other interesting things to see here me think are the Hôtel des Princes (16C), and the Seneschal’s house (17C).

Guémené-sur-Scorff is quoted in Aragon’s poem, The Conscript of the Hundred Villages, written as an act of intellectual Resistance in a clandestine manner in the spring of 1943, during WWII.

And now the feature presentation on the Church Notre Dame de la Fosse!

At Guémené sur Scorff, we saw the wonderful small Church of Notre Dame de la Fosse, from the 19C and  rebuilt around 1820. The bell tower dates from the 18C and stood near the present Church, housing the four bells. The former bell tower collapsed in 1757. This church’s is square and surmounted by a dome, whose construction was decided by the Guémené-sur-Scorff factory in 1761, and replaced a former collegiate church of the 14C who disappeared during the French revolution. A college of canons was founded in 1529 by Mary and Louis IV de Rohan, the Lords of Guémené. The choir of the Church is enlarged in the 16C to accommodate the chapter (six canons) and stalls are installed. Stalls are reworked in 1932 and only remain today the sculpted panels. These sculpted panels now adorn the side altars and are the only remnants of the former collegiate church.

The city of Guémené sur Scorff on its history/heritage: http://guemene-sur-scorff.com/lhistoire/

The local tourist office of the Pays du Roi Morvan on the church: https://www.tourismepaysroimorvan.com/preparer-votre-venue/a-voir-a-faire/patrimoine-religieux/les-eglises/eglise-notre-dame-de-la-fosse-1051263

And there you go folks, another dandy in my beautiful Morbihan and in my lovely Bretagne and in my belle France..Sights and stories to always amaze you. Hope you enjoy the post on the wonderful Guémené sur Scorff.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!

Again, hanging around my neighborhood of small towns near me this is another gem in the off the beaten path of my beautiful Morbihan. It is great pleasure to tell you about this little known places that offer a nice half day tour of wonderful historical monuments and beautiful architecture. Hope you enjoy my bit of introduction to the Church of Saint-Laurent and Saint-Aubin in Brandivy!

First, Brandivy is the French name, for the Breton name it is Bredeui. Just over 1000 inhabitants ! Early Breton came here at about the 6C and impose their language. On an unknown date, they raise over a hill looking down at the river Loc’h, a chapel in honor of Saint Ivy or Divy, a monk and Breton Deacon who came from Armoric (what is today England/Wales/Scotland area) in about 686.  Therefore, the place took the name of  Bré-Yvy or Bré-Divy (meaning hill of Ivy), today Brandivy.

Brandivy is a town dominating the valley of the Loc’h. It is a historical place very near me. The barony of Lanvaux, whose castle fortress was on the banks of the étang de la Forêt or pond of the forest, was one of the oldest in Bretagne. The Lords of Lanvaux sat in the States General of Brittany (old parliament). The barony was ceded by Duke Jean IV in 1383 to the Collegiate Church of Saint-Michel of Brech , except the ruins of the castle, the park, the forest and the pond of the forest, which the Duke of Brittany reserved. In 1464, this part was given by Duke François II to André de Laval, Lord of Lohéac, Marshal of France, who resumed the title of Baron de Lanvaux. Louis II of Rohan-Guémené, Lord of Guémené, made the same in 1485, as well as his successors Louis IV in 1508 and Louis V in 1527, who, along with his heirs, neglected this title thereafter.

The Church of Saint-Laurent and Saint-Aubin ,15-18C, destroyed by fire in 1728 and rebuilt in 1732. At the French revolution, the Church inherited a bell and stalls from the Abbey of Lanvaux. This church gave way in 1884 to a new Church completed in 1885. The stained glass windows date from 1886. The Church houses the statues of the Virgin (trampling the serpent of evil), Saint Laurent and Saint Aubin. There is a commemorative plaque of Abbé Ruaud dates from 1888, first Abbot of the Abbey of Lanvaux in 1138 and Bishop of Vannes in 1144. The Calvary dominated before the cemetery placed around the Church. The basement dates from the 15C, the granite cross of the 19C. You will see characters of all Cavalries such as the Virgin (left) and St John (right) in imposing size at the foot of Christ on the Cross.

You go down a very steep ravine on the side of the river Loc’h to visit the Chapel of Saint Laurent, built early in the 16C; a bit further and you come to the cave of Notre Dame de Lourdes, recently done in 1998! the newest of chapel in all the region. In 1912, a tall cross was put in indented part of the rocks, sort like a cave, and from them a great piligrimage is happening as the rocks looks similar to those at Lourdes. It has a huge wooden crucifixtion cross.

The town of Brandivy on its history and heritage: https://www.brandivy.fr/histoire-patrimoine-c1.html

There you go folks, another off the beaten path site in my beautiful Morbihan near me and always plenty to do and see around my neck of the woods. Hope you enjoy the heritage abound in nice Brandivy.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!