Paris1972-Versailles2003

The town of Plougastel-Daoulas.has lots of memories for us and even family birthdays celebrated there, Several posts in my blog, but need to update this one on the wonderful Calvary of St Peter’s Church, Plougastel-Daoulas is in the dept 29 of Finistère in my lovely region of Bretagne.

It is a town in the Brest harbor, located on a peninsula , which is separated by the mouth of the Élorn. The town is part of the former bishopric of Cornouaille. Plougastel-Daoulas remained very isolated, the Élorn being an obstacle to its relations with the Bishopric of Leon and especially with Brest. Before the construction of the Albert-Louppe Bridge in 1930, only one ferry allowed to cross the estuary starting from the place called the Passage to lead to a place of the same name located on the current town of Relecq-Kerhuon. Lots of battles here in WWII when finally the Plougastel Peninsula was liberateon August 30, 1944.

The calvary of Plougastel-Daoulas dates from 1602-1604 and its about 10 meters high. On a yellow granite base of Logonna-Daoulas, about 182 statues carved in blue Kersanton stone, the larger ones measure one meter and weigh from 100 to 200 kg. They illustrate, in 28 paintings, biblical scenes of the life of Christ or legendary scenes such as Katel Kollet. It is one of the seven great Calvaries of Brittany. The octagon that forms the core of the basement is 1.70 meters apart.  A 14-step staircase near the northwestern foothills provides access to the central platform where the preacher was once installed. It was erected as a result of the plague epidemic of 1598. This is a religious ensemble which is unique of Brittany. This one is one of the best around. The stairs on the side allowing to go inside where the predicator is illuminated.

This is a tremendous beautiful gorgeous magnificent calvary that is a must see even passing just for it is good. My best in the region simple yet detailing of such love and history of Christ. The original date is under the statue of Christ. There is the Nativity, the flight to Egypt, the Last Supper, and the washing of the feet. The great drama of the passion then unfolds in an army of actors among different groups of statuettes. One is the one depicting the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ in Jérusalem. It is dominated by three large crosses in the center.  Destroyed during the period of the terror (French revolution), it was restored again after the liberation after been damaged during the siege of Brest in WWII.

John Davis Skilton, Jr, had statues and stone fragments stored away and, back in the United States, created a foundation to help restore the monument. In 1944, during the American advance, the Calvary was hit by shells, several statues were destroyed as well as the three crosses. John D. Skilton, American officer and art adviser in the United States, created, once back in his country, the “Plougastel Calvary Restoration Fund Inc” in order to collect the funds necessary for the repair of the Calvary. The work carried out under the direction of the Ministry of Fine Arts and Historic Monuments was completed in 1949. John Davis Skilton, Jr was made an honorary citizen of Plougastel-Daoulas on July 16, 1950.

The famous 7 calvaries of Brittany on Plougastel : http://www.7calvaires.fr/en/plougastel/

The city of Plougastel on its heritage : https://ville-plougastel.bzh/decouvrir-plougastel/tourisme/

There you go folks, this Calvary is a must to visit I said… on a wonderful city of Plougastel-Daoulas. Hope you enjoy the post as I.

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

Right off the bat, I have a previous post on the abbey with most of its history and pictures, However, looking at my vault , realised several pictures were not in the original post as were too many, Therefore, I will do a second post sort of a pictorial on the Abbey of Daoulas, Daoulas is a town in the department of Finistere no 29, in the lovely region of Bretagne.

The Abbey of Daoulas concentrates in one place the centers of interest: one appreciates the quality of the gardens of medicinal plants and trees from all over the world which invite the senses and the spirit to travel, one discovers there the richness of the diversity culture through exhibitions that invite you to discover the Other.

The Abbey of Daoulas has the rare privilege of concentrating in one place the centers of interest: the charm of the gardens and their botanical diversity, the heritage quality of the site and the unique opportunity to discover distant cultures thanks to the annual exhibitions. Founded from the 12C by the regular canons of the order of Saint-Augustin, the Abbey of Daoulas still preserves beautiful testimonies of its initial splendor today like the 12C abbey church (now the parish church), a Romanesque cloister and its basin remarkable, a fountain and a 16C oratory.

The Abbey of Daoulas overlooks the small town of Daoulas, once a strategic port between Léon and Cornouaille. It still preserves today beautiful testimonies of its initial splendor: a Romanesque cloister, remains of community buildings from the 13C. Sold during the French revolution, transformed into a bourgeois residence in the 19C then occupied by a religious congregation and a school after the wars, the site tells, through its transformations, the great History.

It has exceptional gardens, including the simple garden bringing together species representative of the traditional pharmacopoeias of the five continents. All worth the detour I said.

The city of Daoulas on the abbey : https://daoulas.bzh/fr/rb/854128/labbaye-de-daoulas-et-les-monuments-classes

The Landerneau-Daoulas tourist office on the abbey : https://www.tourisme-landerneau-daoulas.fr/sortir-bouger/activites-culturelles-et-patrimoine/sorties-culturelles/abbaye-de-daoulas-22636

The Bretagne region tourist board on the abbey: https://www.brittanytourism.com/offers/abbaye-de-daoulas-daoulas-en-2016044/

There you go folks, you are now arm to come see this jewel of my lovely Bretagne, and belle France, Daoulas is super, small but packing a lot of history/architecture in it, worth the detour, me think. Hope you enjoy it as I did.

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

This is an unique opportunity to see Brest from above and have a wonderful ride on its two sides. I have written on public transports here before but feels the cable car or téléphérique should have a post of its own for its uniqueness. For location, Brest is in the dept Finistére no 29 of the lovely region of Bretagne in my belle France.

The téléphérique de Brest  base is at 50 Rue de Siam and it is part of the line C of the local transport network call Bibus , It links the two banks of the river Penfeld that separates the districts of Siam and Capucins. It is the first of its kind in France and started in 2016. Each of its cabins can transport up to 60 persons at the same time. It is capable to withstand winds of up to 108 kph and equipped with cabins offering a capacity equivalent to half a bus each.

The cable car will cover a distance of 430 meters above the Penfeld and the military arsenal, at a maximum height of 70 meters, in order to allow the passage of the buildings of the French Navy. Two cabins with a total capacity of 60 seats will transport passengers every five minutes, for an estimated journey time of approximately three minutes.

A bit of history I like

The city of Brest is cut in two by the Penfeld, a coastal river passing through the bottom of a valley occupied by the military arsenal, access to which is closed to the public. This configuration forms a strong urban break between the two banks because only two bridges allow the crossing of the river, the Recouvrance bridge,(see post) designed to be able to let ships pass, and the Harteloire bridge further north. The construction of the station on the right bank, in the heart of the Ateliers des Capucins, took place from July 2015 to March 2016, while the pylon was assembled between October 2015 and February 2016, The first cabin was presented to the public in April 2016, for three days, placed on the ground at the bottom of the Rue de Siam, then stored at the tram’s operations and maintenance center until its installation. It is placed on its cables on August 17, 2016, and the second cabin is installed in turn on September 6, The line, the first in France in an urban environment, is inaugurated on November 19, 2016.

The Bibus transport network on line C the cable car of Brest : https://www.bibus.fr/en/move/tram-bus-cable-network/cable-line-c

The city of Brest on public transports( see Bibus) : https://www.brest.fr/se-deplacer-stationner/se-deplacer-dans-la-metropole/se-deplacer-en-bus-tram-et-telepherique-2358.html

There you go folks, now I feel better having this unique post in my blog, The Cable car or Teléphérique of Brest is worth the ride, even if often in repairs ,check ahead with Bibus. Hope you enjoy the post as I.

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