Paris1972-Versailles2003

And this is another update of many on these times and great that it can be done now; it brings back many memorable travel times with the family. This one is near me and already several posts in my blog, but its one of the favorites in the Rhuys peninsula main city of Sarzeau. I like to bring your attention to the Church of Saint Saturnin in Sarzeau!!!

Ok so I am getting loaded on the Rhuys peninsula of my beautiful Morbihan dept 56 of my lovely Bretagne and of course in my belle France lol! This is another update post and I thank you for reading me over the years!!! Sarzeau is located in the Rhuys peninsula, between the Gulf of Morbihan and the Atlantic Ocean. Sarzeau has several islands which are administratively attached to it such as the Isle of Ouefs, Godec Island, Stibiden Island, Govihan Island, and Brannec island.

Sarzeau is limited to the west by the towns of Arzon and Saint-Gildas-de-Rhuys,(see posts) to the northeast by that of Saint-Armel (see post) and to the southeast by that of the Tour-du-Parc; To the north by the Gulf of Morbihan and to the south by the Atlantic Ocean. With more than 65 km of coastline, Sarzeau is one of the towns of Bretagne and even France that have the longest coastline!!. I like to tell you a bit more on a nice little Church that me think needs more on it. Of course this area have plenty of posts in my blog on Sarzeau.

The Church of Saint-Saturnin b. 1670, re-renovated in 1883. It is built on the site of an ancient Romanesque religious site dating from the 11-12C. Fallen into ruins in the 17C, after the fall of the roof in 1648, it is replaced from 1670 to 1683 by a large Church in the style of the pseudo-classical Renaissance. The bell tower is built in 1698-1700. In 1883, it was renovated to bring out the nudity of its interiors by dividing the nave by a double row of columns and vaulting the Church on crossed warheads. Two modern stained glass windows recall, one, the arrival of the monk Saint Gildas in Rhuys, and the other Joan of Arc presenting herself  to the Constable of Richemont, a native of Sarzeau.

The lateral altars are adorned with two beautiful stone altarpieces from the beginning of the 18C. One is dated from 1707 and represents the Intercession of the Virgin; the other is the Adoration of the Sacred Heart. The Souls of Purgatory, in bas-relief, date from 1707. The painting depicting the baptism of Christ dates from 1936.

Very nice city center and great market day on Saturday morning right by the Church of St Saturnin! Enjoy it as we do too!

Some webpages to help you plan your trip here are:

The city of Sarzeau on getting the new bells for the Church of St Saturnin: https://www.sarzeau.fr/sarzeau-a-retrouve-son-clocheton/

The city of Sarzeau on its history/heritage: https://www.sarzeau.fr/histoire-de-la-ville-2/

The Gulf of Morbihan tourist board on Sarzeau: https://www.golfedumorbihan.bzh/explorer-vannes/decouvrir-vannes/golfe-morbihan/presquile-rhuys/sarzeau/

There you go folks, another nice small gem in a nice quant pretty town of the Rhuys peninsula of the Morbihan. The Church of St Saturnin is small but worth the detour for the magic of its city center in Sarzeau. Again, hope you enjoy the brief tour.

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

So let me bring you again to an off the beaten path area of my lovely Bretagne, this time in nice neighboring Finistére dept 29 and the quant town of La Fôret Fouesnant! and the Church of Notre Dame of Izel-Vor! Hope you enjoy the tour!

It is like our backyard trip, and we were there this past weekend again. Always looking forward to Summer times.  We decided to go out and see some other parts that we have not been or just passing by. This one we passed near but not been so it was a lovely trip and already use to the beauty we have all around us. Let me tell you about the Church of Notre Dame of the Lower Sea or église Notre Dame d’Izel Vor (with Izel Vor been Breton for lower sea or basse mer in French) , and this is at lovely La Forêt Fouesnant!

When we passed by before but when tried to came in it was under total renovation so could not get in , however seen pictures of the inside and it is awesome worth the wait to be back inside when possible.

This church was built largely during the first half of the 16C, is dedicated to Notre Dame or Our Lady of Izel-Vor (Lower Sea). It is of a typical Gothic style in Cornouaille. The carved dates on the walls can be found: 1538 under the porch, 1628 above the baptistery. The interior of the church (not seen as was under renovation) is said to be remarkable for the richness of its furniture such as the baptismal fonts in granite and wood, the painting of the Rosary 1684, the high altar 1694 and its altarpiece 17C, which are from the 17C. Polychrome statues of local saints complete the decoration . Its Calvary built in 1500. square enclosure serving as pulpit. At the corners; 4 Gothic bells bearing a decapitated Mary and John. The central cask blossoms into consoles bearing the two lardons. Served as a pulpit on busy days; which assumes that the forecourt was then much larger than it is today.

There is a statue of Our Lady of Kergornec, also known as the Statue of the Breastfeeding Virgin, which dates from the late 17C. This statue probably comes from the ancient priory of Loc-Amand. Statue of Itron Varia Izel-Vor Breton for Our Lady of Lower Sea, which also dates from the late 17C. A Pietà of the 18C. Other statues of Saints such as Santik-Du, St. John the Baptist, St. Egarec, St. Nicholas, St. Abibon, St. Alain, St. Amand, St. Guénolé, and   St. Margaret. Procession Banners such as the Banner Itron Varia Izel-Vor (Our Lady of Lower Sea). Banner Itron Varia ar Penity (Our Lady of Penity). Banner of Ste. Anne, and Banner of Saint Teresa.

Some webpages to help you plan your trip here are:

The La Fôret Fouesnant tourist office on the church: https://www.foret-fouesnant-tourisme.com/notre-destination/a-decouvrir/eglise-dame-izel-vor/

The Finistére dept 29 tourist board on the Finistére Riviera of which La Fôret Fouesnant is part of on its things to see: http://www.finisterebrittany.com/finistere-riviera

The South Finistére dept 29 tourist board on La Fôret Fouesnant heritage: http://www.finisteresud.com/429-visites-finistere-sud-foret-fouesnant.html

There you go a lovely trip , nice monument (to be back for it) and lovely town by the ocean. You will do well to come here to the Finistére Riviera !. For now enjoy the Church of Notre Dame of the Lower Sea in La Forêt Fouesnant!

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

This is one of those natural wonders of my lovely Bretagne that amazes me. This is in neighboring dept 29 of Finistére or end of the world and the tip of the peninsual call Pointe du Raz! Really beautiful country and great views!!

This is a wild visit full of nature, gorgeous views and great time to see the effects of mother nature first hand. It is made for all nature lovers of the world.  Pointe du Raz, in the Cap Sizun, (Sizun Cape) at the westernmost point in the peninsula seeing the vast Atlantic ocean and the lighthouses of the island of Sein. The view here is magnificent over the vast ocean and you are on a cliff with rocky stony footpath leading you to the edge!

The Pointe du Raz, the local name in Breton Beg ar Raz, is a rocky promontory constituting the most advanced part of Cap Sizun, facing the Iroise Sea. Located to the west of the town of Plogoff, it forms a bow with a height of 72 meters dominating the Raz de Sein. It is one of the most emblematic sites of the granitic coasts of Brittany. Access to the site is possible by car by the road D 784 with a paid parking space nearby.

Cap Sizun advances in the Iroise, bordered to the north by the Bay of Douarnenez and to the south by the Bay of Audierne. Its most famous natural sites are the Pointe du Raz,  and that of the Pointe du Van as well as between them, the Bay of the Trepassés. Its maritime extension is the chaussée de Sein (sea road), whose most important part is the ïle de Sein island  from which it is separated by the Raz de Sein.

This human pressure required rigorous environmental protection measures in the context of a large national site operation, to restore its vegetation cover consisting mainly of heather. To this end, shops have been displaced, 2 hotels have been demolished, and the place of arrival of the cars has been move by one km. The operation was conducted in 1996-2000. A commercial space and paid parking are built at a respectable distance, connected to the site by a bus shuttle and horses from the equestrian center of Plogoff. An European hiking trail of 3 050 km, the European trail E5, connects the Pointe du Raz  to Venice,Italy!. The GR 34(country walk way), which runs along all the Breton coasts from Mont Saint-Michel to Lorient, also passes through this site. The route du vent solaire or Sun wind route, tourist route goes from Pointe du Raz to Penmarch along the Bay of Audierne.

The Ile de Sein, located 8 km to the west on the chaussée de Sein, is separated from the Pointe du Raz and by the Raz de Sein whose violent currents are at the origin of the topology of the site. Two automated lighthouses  are established on the islands of the latter: la-Vieille and Tévennec. The statue of  Notre-Dame des naufragés or Our Lady of the shipwrecked and a semaphore are placed at the end of the seminal plateau. The inferno of Plogoff, a gallery dug by the sea under the tip, is reputed to be the place where the flood deposits those who drowned at sea. The beauty of the site is reinforced by those of the nearby coasts that curl to the north along a large sandy beach at the bottom of the Bay of Trepassés, closed by the Pointe du Van beyond which stretches the immense Bay of Douarnenez closed by the Cap de La Chèvre. To the south lies the Bay of Audierne.

Since antiquity, the passage between the Pointe du Raz and the Island of Sein, called the Raz de Sein, was reputed to be very dangerous for navigation and especially, at night and in the wrong season, due to the violence of its sea currents. A manned lighthouse, the lighthouse of Tévennec, was built from 1869 to 1874 on the islet of Tévennec and was lit in 1875. In 1910, it was transformed into a permanent lighthouse  without a keeper. A sheet metal turret with a more modest lighthouse was established around 1870 on a cliff-side to the northwest to create a lighthouse lighted in  alignment pointing to the old island. It was called the  feu de la falaise du Raz or the fire of the cliff of the Raz, and was also extinguished in 1887. The base of the Pointe du Raz lighthouse was then redesigned to make it a semaphore.

Some webpages to help you plan your trip here and you must are:

The official Pointe du Raz in Cap Sizun: https://www.pointeduraz.com/

The webpage on the community of Cap Sizun to Pointe du Raz: http://www.cap-sizun.fr/dossiers/dossiers.php?id_dossier=234

The Finistére dept 29 tourist board on Pointe du Raz: https://www.toutcommenceenfinistere.com/article/pointe-du-raz-grand-site-de-france

The tourist office of the Bretagne region on the Pointe du Raz/Cap Sizun: https://www.brittanytourism.com/destinations/the-10-destinations/quimper-cornouaille/pointe-du-raz-and-the-cap-sizun/

There you go something on the off the beaten path ways of my Bretagne.  A nature lovers’ paradise and the immense views of our glorious Atlantic ocean with rocky formation to dream on. Enjoy the Pointe du Raz as we do!

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

And here I continue with my updating mood of older posts and come back to the coastal Morbihan. This is a great area found with our local curiosity a while back and since a happening place for the family. The best here is the beach but the city center or bourg is nice too. Let me tell you a bit more on the Church of Saint Gildas in Gâvres!!!

The town of Gâvres is located on a peninsula of the same name facing Port-Louis, at the entrance to the bay of Lorient and to the east of the ïle de Groix island. Gâvres is located at the northern end of Brittany’s largest dune cordon, which stretches from Pointe de Gâvres to Fort de Penthièvre, in the town of Saint-Pierre-Quiberon. Its history is linked to the craft of coastal fishing and offshore fishing with a predilection for sardine, before becoming a strategic military commerce place in the 17-18C, parallel to the development of the ports of Lorient and Port-Louis.

The Church of Saint Gildas b. 1888, in the form of a Latin cross, replaced the old Romanesque chapel which depended on a Priory located in Plouhinec. The former prieural Chapel, largely Romanesque, was demolished around 1880-1891,  and replaced by a Romanesque church. A stained glass windows dates from 1963. There are ex-voto models of the three-masts boats such as  “Saint-Gildas ” and  “Sainte-Anne “, that date from 1900. Gâvres was part of the parish of Riantec until 1868. This small church was rectangular with two aisles. The central arcades rested on pillars. As the population kept growing, it became too small. The solution: to build a larger church. The first stone of the Church was laid in  1887 and the main work was completed in 1988. For lack of money, it was not possible to build a bell tower. A wooden campanile was erected outside the Church on the north wall to hang the primitive bell that was replaced in 1911. The cracked bell was melted and reformed to get the notes. The other two bells, come from a parish in Algeria. The blessing of the bells took place in July 1969. They are called Jeannine-Stanislas, Reine-Maxime and Marthe-Pierre. In 1971, the Church of Saint Gildas finally had a real  bell tower. Above the porch, a statue of St Gildas in granite, welcome visitors.

Other interesting things to see here other than the beach are the Tumulus de Gâvres, a passage dolmen under a tumulus. The Fort de Porh-Puns located along coast of Pointe de Gâvres, about 400 meters as the crow flies of the Saint-Gildas Church above. The fort is disarmed after WWII and bought in 2007 from the Ministry of Defense by the Syndicat Mixte du Grand Site Gâvres Quiberon.

The town of Gâvres on the Church of Saint Gildas: https://www.gavres.fr/culture-et-patrimoine/eglise-saint-gildas/

The Cape Lorient on Gâvres heritage: http://gavres.caplorient.fr/Patrimoine.6391.0.html

The Lorient South Brittany tourist office on Gâvres: https://www.lorientbretagnesudtourisme.fr/fr/immanquables/gavres/

And there you go folks, another dandy in my beautiful Morbihan, by the coast but many other things to see on its architecture and history of Gâvres. Hope you enjoy the brief introduction to the Church of Saint Gildas!

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