Again, my thrill of road warrior trips in my beautiful Morbihan took me to another new town ! Actually was on my round visiting towns and passed by these, that were unique. Let me introduce you to Plaudren and its Saint Bily’s Church. Hope you enjoy the find as I.
The town of Plaudren is located in the canton of Grand-Champ and the department 56 of my beautiful Morbihan, in the my lovely region of Bretagne. The town is 18 km from our capital City of Vannes ,and 30 km from my house. The one monument that made me stop here was the Church Saint Bily, and here is my take on it.
The town of Plaudren is crossed by three rivers: the Arz, which has its source south of the town, which is a tributary of the Oust, therefore a sub-tributary of the Vilaine; the Loc’h (or river of Auray) , which rises to the east of the town; and the Claie, which is also a tributary of the Oust, therefore a sub-tributary of the Vilaine.
The Saint Bily’s Church is an imposing building located in the town center, this neo-Romanesque church was completed in 1896. It is dedicated to the patron saint of the parish, Saint Bily. A buried semi-spherical lech is visible in front of the southern sacristy. Plaudren has always strongly affirmed its Breton character as opposed to neighboring towns speaking Gallo. The parish church benefited from a major restoration program (exterior and interior) during the years 1998,1999 and 2000.
Ancient parish, Plaudren had for centuries a church located at the exact location of the current one and surrounded by its cemetery where hemispherical stones attest to the antiquity of the site. The old church was of poor taste and without style and character, according to some. Already battered by events, since the tower collapsed in 1731, the church had to suffer a lot during the French revolution. At the beginning of the 19C, there were calls for repairs ,and it was in 1886 that we really worried about its reconstruction. As early as 1890, work was only done in the choir,,and an audacious plan for a new church was done. The new church nevertheless presents a monumental aspect. It imposes itself by the importance of its elevation, the size of its nave, the golden color of its stones. In neo-Romanesque style, these reminiscences of this style are found everywhere: in the Latin cross plan with its semi-circular apse and the apsidioles on the wings of the transept, in the semicircular openings twinned with the gables, tripled on the chamber of bells, with a drip edge to accentuate their curvature. Built in the work, the bell tower is preceded by a forepart which acts as a porch and whose arcade is supported on granite columns, inside a triangular gable. the buttresses rise up to the bell chamber, framed by corner columns.
Other things to see here me think is the Cross of Saint-Bily erected at the entrance to the town of Plaudren on the site where a bishop is said to have been assassinated. Saint Bily was Bishop of Vannes at the turn of the 9C and 10C. He would have been born near Redon around 840, is attested as bishop of Vannes from 892, and would have died assassinated at Saint-Bily between 913 and 919. He was beheaded by the lord of Kervasy,or even some said vikings ! at the site of the Calvary and would have been buried at the site of the chapel.
The town of Plaudren on its heritage : https://www.plaudren.fr/eglise-et-chapelles
The Gulf of Morbihan tourist office on Plaudren : https://www.golfedumorbihan.bzh/explorer-vannes/decouvrir-vannes/golfe-morbihan/landes-de-lanvaux/plaudren/
There you go folks, another dandy road warrior ride and another nice find in Plaudren! These are the off the beaten paths town we love to go by,and look forward to more ,and more of Plaudren. Again hope you enjoy the post as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 
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