Paris1972-Versailles2003

Moving right along in my local road warrior mode I will bring you to another off the beaten path area of my beautiful Morbihan but very much known to me as used to passed every day to work by here and had my lunches and apéros in city center with friends. This is also the spot where saw one stage of the Tour de France (see post). Therefore, let me tell you about a hidden gem in Saint Avé on my old way to work!!

We went specifically to see the Château de Beauregard in the town of St Avé, off the N165 take the D779E direction St Avé, turn right into the D135 direction St Avé and down by the Chapel of Notre Dame du Loch turn left direction St Nolff on the next traffic circle bear left and quick right for the castle entrance. This is a private property so you cannot go all the way in but close enough. I have been once on a business conference but no pictures of the inside allowed.

Taking my translation from the official site in French:

As its name suggests, the Castle of Beauregard is located on a height from which one can discover a landscape extended towards the Gulf of Morbihan. Access to the castle is via a majestic 500-meter bridle path, lined with beeches and hundred-year-old plane trees.

The Château de Beauregard is a large 18-19C L-shaped residence located on a height from which we discover a very extensive landscape towards the Gulf of Morbihan. It comes from a first Manor existing in 1514 which was called “Le Manoir de Kerspihuiry”, belonging to Pierre Roland and which served as a hunting lodge. It was rebuilt in the 18C by undergoing several transformations, including the raising of a floor, which caused the disappearance of remains of the old Manor.  During WWII the Nazis occupied the castle, leaving the owners and some refugees in the outbuildings.

This is a magnificent property  with its flowery cour d’honneur , a majestic French garden of 3000m2 inspire by the master André Le Nôtre (Versailles). Amongst other things there is a green well-kept park of 40 hectares.  The history of it of importance was that here the treaty of pacification of Brittany was signed in February 14 1800 between  Georges Cadoudal (hero of Brittany) ,and Général Brune,of the French ,ending the chouannerie (the local farmers and country people of the area who fought the French revolution) in Morbihan.

It is now use by wedding, events, exhibits, anniversary, family gathering, etc all for rental. You can have as much as 600 seated persons in one activity here. In all a wonderful property and one of the nice ones in the area.

The official webpage of the castle of Beauregard: https://www.chateau-de-beauregard-56.fr/

There you go folks a wonderful property to see in the alleys even if not allowed in the view is impressive ,very beautiful looking castle indeed. Enjoy my Morbihan and remember, happy travels good health, and many cheers to all!!!

So lets stay in nice quant St Avé in my beautiful Morbihan and lovely Bretagne of my belle France. As you have read my blog, this is a town I passed to work every day for many years so know it very well even if there is always hard on pictures. Update, recently was able to see the church open so here are new pictures from 2021, no need to redo the whole post. Hope you enjoy this post on St Avé and its monuments as I.

The neighbouring towns of Saint-Avé are Saint-Nolff (worked here), Locqueltas, Meucon, Plescop, Vannes and Monterblanc. Saint-Avé was originally part of the former parish of Saint Patern of Vannes dismembered around the year 1000. It also included the territory of Meucon which subsequently became detached. Saint-Avé was erected in town during the French revolution in 1790. There are two interesting monuments here, the Church of Saint Gervais and Saint Protais that I passed by its side every day and the Chapelle Notre Dame du Loch that I passed in front every day!

The Church Saint Gervais and Saint Protais is dedicated to the Italian twin brothers, Saint Gervais and Saint Protais. The old church was reportedly built in the 15C. between 1426 and 1481 and other churches would have preceded it on the same site. Apart from some ancient elements including the left transept dating from the 15C, the church destroyed in the early 19C was rebuilt from 1830 to 1834. The current  Church, in its almost all, dates from that time. The nave is redone in the fashionable Neo-Gothic style of the times.

From the old Church of Saint Gervais and Saint Protais remain only the wings of the transept-the south transept being the chapel of the Lords of Lesnevé and the north transept that of the Lords of Beauregard, two Lordships of the old important regime of the town, also, some sections of the walls and structural elements, and above all three Gothic stained glass windows which are the most beautiful ornament. In the nave, the door in the basket, which overlooks the old baptistery, is adorned with elegant moldings, probably surviving from the old Church. All the other bays are modern. Work was carried out in 1975, due to the poor condition of the vault and to adapt the choir to the new liturgical norms of Vatican Council II. In 2000, work in the city center redesigned the square, the Church’s surroundings and the public lighting, and the bell tower, including its stone Spire, was sealed in 2001. The altarpiece was also completely renovated and the clock refurbished.

Next to the Church of Saint Gervais and Saint Protais , there is a Gaullist or Lech stele is topped by a granite cross  near the Chapelle Notre Dame du Loch. This stele, linked to the funeral rites, was Christianized.  In the space of the old cemetery, there is a much wrought granite Calvary: the plinth, the fut and the panel are adorned with sculptures of Saints. On the banner-shaped panel, a Madonna and Child is surrounded by Angels. This is a 16C Calvary ordeal.

The Chapel Saint-Avé, ,better known as the Chapelle Notre-Dame du Loch, was built from 1475 to 1494. In the form of a Latin cross topped by a slate steeple, it has a main façade adorned with a beautiful portal with arches flanked by two buttresses with pinnacles and topped by a large oculus which, despite transformations, retains its medieval style authentic. It is surrounded by a paddock, where a fountain and a calvary are erected.

The city of St Avé on its must to see: https://www.saint-ave.bzh/les-incontournables/

The parish of St Avé on the Church St Gervais St Protais: https://www.paroissesaintave.fr/eglise-saint-ave/

The parish of St Avé on the Chapelle Notre Dame du Loch: https://www.paroissesaintave.fr/chapelle-notre-dame-du-loch/

There you go folks, another dandy road warrior ride into my beautiful Morbihan. Saint Avé will be memorable, not for nothing passed by it and these monuments for 8,5 yrs!!! they will be missed now in my retirement. Of course, will need to pass by them again eventually, even if just for the memories.  And I have, even a memorable pint at Le Welcome bar tabac across from the above church ,just like an apéro in the old good days! Hope you enjoy the ride and thanks for coming along with me.

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

And here I continue updating older posts and again by the coast of Finistére dept 29 in my lovely Bretagne. There is more than the ocean and beaches here with great oysters too. However, I will tell you this time on the wonderful Church St Melaine in Moëlan sur Mer!

 Let me tell you a bit about a nice small harbor sea town and its church I like.  Moëlan-sur-Mer is located along the Atlantic coast stretching over 47.3 km².  It is surrounded by the towns of Clohars-Carnoët, Riec-sur-Bélon and Baye. Moëlan-sur-Mer is only 9 km from the bigger city nearby of Quimperlé. The town is at 54 meters above sea level, the Rivière Le Belon, the Rivière de Brigneau are the main streams that pass through the town of Moëlan-sur-Mer. The town is also close to the regional natural park of Armorique.

 However, as monument that caught our attention was the Church of Saint-Melaine built between 1876-1878 on the site of a former oratory destroyed in the 9C and an ancient Church restored in 1599. The old church, of the 15-16C, small, low, inadequate, gave way to a new building, built in 1876-1878 and consecrated in June 1879. Built in the style of the 13C, it has a very nice appearance. The beautiful confessional of the ancient Church, dating from the 18C is very nice. The Church of Moëlan has the titular Saint Melaine, Bishop of Rennes, whose statue is seen in the Chapel of Saint-Philibert, in the vicinity of the village.

The Church St Melaine, which was consecrated in June 1879, comprises a nave of five bays with aisles, a transept and a choir consisting of two straight spans with aisles and a three-span roundabout surrounded by a carole on which three chapels radiates from. The Bell Tower is without a gallery. The Church of St Melaine houses the statues of Saint John the Baptist, Saint Melaine and Saint Corentin.

One worth mention here as final point on this wonderful trip was the beach of plage Kerfany , you have a nice one offering a protected area a few steps from the mouth of the Belon. This supervised beach is ideal for families, who can enjoy the sea baths and many water activities: sailing, kayaking, and paddle.

The town of Moëlan sur Mer on its heritage: http://www.moelan-sur-mer.fr/moelan-sur-mer/decouvrir-moelan-sur-mer

The local tourist office of Quimperle Terre Océane on Moëlan sur Mer : https://www.quimperle-terreoceane.com/en/discover/our-towns/moelan-sur-mer/

A nice walk in this quant harbor sea town is very nice and excellent seafood as always here. Great for the whole family. Enjoy Moëlan-sur-Mer!

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

Going up to the Finistére of my Bretagne to update this quant small town by the sea and its beautiful monument. This is again one of the thrills of this opportunity in our times that allows me to go back into forgotten posts. Hope you enjoy reading the Church of the Holy Cross in Le Conquet!

The wonderful ocean coast town of Le Conquet, the most westerly continental town in France! The town of Le Conquet is located in the pointe Saint Mathieu, part of the town of Plougonvelin. In addition, the territory of Le Conquet includes the islands of the Archipielago of Moléne.  However, I like to tell you about a nice monument there and leave you the harbor and beach already in another post. Let me tell you a bit on the Church of the Holy Cross or église de Sainte Croix. The interesting thing here is that the church was undergoing restoration on the outside bu the inside was great for visiting! Always a first…

Once in town you get to it coming from  Brest, continue straight to the city center and turn left to park at Place Llandello. Coming from Pointe St-Mathieu, facing a parking lot, turn left onto rue de Verdun and park right on Place Llandello.  The entrance to the Church of the Holy Cross is at 100 meters in rue Poncelin.

The Church of Saint Croix at Le Conquet with its Gothic appearance, the ancient statues adoring its façade, its 18C tomb and its large flamboyant stained glass, all these elements seems several times centenary . However, the church was built in the mid-19C. In fact, It has travel over time.

The construction date for this building is 1856, and listed above the entrance gate. However this is not a construction entirely of that time. The first stone of the new church was laid in 1857. The final reception of the church took place in 1858. Only fifteen months will have been enough to carry out these gigantic works. But the work has been considerably simplified by reusing most of the stones from the old Church of Lochrist and the Chapel of St. Christopher. The new Church of the Holy Cross… or Sainte Croix is a little bigger than the old one. It has the form of a real Latin cross and its Bell Tower, copied on the old one, is no longer flanked by the high turret which housed the staircase leading to the galleries and the bells chamber.  In August 1944, the Church was severely damaged by the bombing of WWII. It was not until the 1950’s that the Spire was rebuilt and carry out restoration work. The zinc gutters were laid in 2005 and the Arrow spiral Cross in 2012. And more repairs… As in the past, three statues dominate the entrance gate. Two others are at the corners of the façade. The most beautiful, the most moving is this Christ of pity, or Christ of the bonds, who, stripped of his clothes, waits peacefully, to be judged by the Sanhedrin.  The state of repairs of all these statues betrays their seniority. They are likely prior to the construction of the ancient Church of Lochrist dating from the 16C. Perhaps they were already decorating the previous Church, the experts date them in the 15C.

The Bell Tower has two beautiful galleries. Under the first, there are prominent sculptures that resemble gargoyles. At both angles of the façade, they represent fantastic animals and they are actually gargoyles intended to evacuate from the walls the rainwater coming from the gallery. At opposite angles, they are cannons and you can  see very well that erect to the sky, they would not allow the water to flow outward. 

The very classical Interior plan of the Church of the Holy Cross (Sainte Croix) as well as the Interior restorations of the 1950’s , you have to go through it with curiosity to measure all the riches. The lateral walls, for example, are adorned with decorative sculpted elements that come from the ancient children of the Church of Lochrist. In the right wing of the transept, you see an imposing tomb of black marble that surmounts a magnificent statue.

This is the tomb of Dom Michel Le Nobletz, a famous Breton missionary priest of the time of Richelieu. Ardent advocate of the most deprived, fervent preacher of the Catholic Counter-Reformation to the point of being nicknamed (ar Beleg foll =Breton language), or the mad priest, by his critics, he spent the last twelve years of his life at Le Conquet in a house transformed since Chapel, the Dom Michel Chapel. His talents as a speaker and his very pedagogical method of illustrating his words by large drawings, the taolennoù, which he commented to the public, are at the origin of his fame.

The stained glass windows, from three different eras, deserve special attention. At the ends of the transept which houses the tomb of Dom Michel Le Nobletz, you can admire two beautiful stained glass windows painted in 1932. The other stained glass windows of the nave, by their modernity, differ greatly with the previous ones. Made in 1960 and 1970, with the theme of the great characters of the Church.

Finally you have to take a look at the superb organ buffet overlooking the entrance to the nave. This great instrument was made in 1872 in the shop in Quimper of Jules Heyer. This famous factor of Polish origins had contributed with Aristide Cavaillé to the construction of the great organs of Cathedral of Notre-Dame of Paris. Jules Heyer has built the organ of the Cathedral of Quimper as well as most of the organs of Brittany.

Some webpages to help you plan your trip here are:

The town of Le Conquet: http://www.leconquet.info/accueil/

The Iroise area tourist office on Le Conquet: https://www.iroise-bretagne.bzh/decouvrir/actualites/le-conquet-trebabu-53830

The Finistére dept 29 tourist office on the port of Conquet: https://www.toutcommenceenfinistere.com/loisir/port-du-conquet-le-conquet

The heritage sites of the Iroise area on the Church of the Holy Cross in Le Conquet: https://www.patrimoine-iroise.fr/culturel/religieux/Sainte-Croix.php

And there you go folks, a nice monument sitting in a lovely coastal town in the confines of the Bretagne. Hope you enjoy this Church of the Holy Cross of Le Conquet

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