And here I was on my road warrior mode visiting Guingamp and then Rostrenen (see posts), and passed by this picturesque town with an imposing church! So , an amateur of architecture and history decided to indulge myself into the town of Bourbriac. Hope you enjoy the post as I.
The town of Bourbriac is in the Côtes-d’Armor department 22, in my lovely region of Bretagne. It was on our way to Guingamp of which is only 10 km away that we passed by and discovered another monument that is worth putting in my blog. The town of Bourbriac was constituted as a parish, from the middle of the 12C to the end of the 13C, a possession of the Abbey of Saint-Melaine in Rennes. It was, until the end of the Ancien Régime (monarchy), an annex of the castellany of Guingamp. The Chouans (rebels against the French revolution) made numerous raids and looted the town of Bourbriac on March 11, 1796, December 10, 1799 and February 9, 1800.
The Church of Saint-Briac has by tradition attributes the founding of the town to Saint Briac who would have established a monastery there in the 6C at the invitation of King Deroch, In the Romanesque period, a church whose choir rests on a crypt was built by the Benedictines of Saint-Melaine de Rennes. It was badly damaged during the War of the Succession of Brittany. In the 16C, the north porch, the tower-porch and the south transept were built. The choir and the north crosspiece of the transept are later done. In 1765, the nave was completely destroyed by fire. It is rebuilt, as well as the aisles. The Romanesque crossing tower is replaced by a steeple. The side altars date from this construction campaign. The spire of the church was destroyed by a hurricane in 1867 and was rebuilt in 1869 The organ was installed in 1989.
The Church of Saint Briac is in the shape of a Latin cross with a nave of five bays flanked by aisles, a slightly projecting transept and a flat apse , Externally, the church is marked by the Flamboyant Gothic style, From the Romanesque period, the crypt, the transept, as well as the choir ,which was enlarged in the 16C, and the north transept remain
Other things to see in Bourbriac are the fountain of Saint-Briac, which could also date from the 16C. The Saint’s niche has been empty since the 19C. You can ,also, see the Notre-Dame du Danouët Chapel, the Saint-Houarneau Chapel, the Tanouédou tumulus or Danouédou tumulus , the Kerivole dolmen, also called Kérivoa dolmen ,and the menhir and dolmen of Creac’h-an-Archant.
The town of Bourbriac and its heritage : https://www.bourbriac.bzh/le-patrimoine/le-patrimoine/
There you go folks, you never what to find on the roads of my lovely Bretagne/Brittany/Breizh! We love the roads and really come to discover many wonders in small towns full of architecture and history such as Bourbriac! Hope you enjoy this off the beaten path find as I
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
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