Again, in my road warrior trips in my Finistére dept 29 of my lovely Bretagne, we came back to the fortified City of Quimperlé, We have come here several times but there is always something new to see and enjoy, This time going to the upper town, we saw a building that look like a chapel and went for it. I went by to the Chapelle des Ursulines or aka Chapelle de Notre Dame des Sept Douleurs.. Let me tell you a bit about it with a new and older picture. Hope you enjoy the post as I.
The Chapelle des Ursulines or the Ursulines Chapel , This is ,also known as the Chapelle de Notre Dame des Sept Douleurs or Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows Chapel. This Jesuit cum baroque-style chapel which was part of a 17C convent boasts a magnificent roof gilded with gold leaves. The Chapel now hosts expositions of contemporary art for the town of Quimperlé.
However, the history as I like it.
In 1652, the Ursulines of Tréguier were authorized to found an establishment. The community first settled in the lower town, in the Gorréquer district. In a vast perimeter on the edge of the upper town, In 1674 , the convent buildings were completed, as was the church whose northern elevation, later modified, was probably crowned with a simple triangular pediment. traces of which remain in the form of the beginning of an uncovered gable , The nave of the church communicated, with the choir of the nuns, with a chapel dedicated to Saint Joseph, Between 1733 and 1789, several parts of the Bel Air farm, housing, dairy, stables, barns and pigsties, were built or rebuilt (the house in 1733, the laundry room in 1761, the cider press in 1767, the bakery in 1789). In 1789, the estate (convent buildings, vegetable gardens, pleasure gardens, orchards, agricultural outbuildings) covers an area of approximately 15 hectares. Expulsion of the nuns and sale as national property in 1792 during the French revolution. Return of the congregation and resumption of teaching from 1803 , after the Concordat , In 1827, repair of the frame and roof of the church and installation of the painted paneling currently in place In 1846, closing of the cloister by bay windows. Between 1868-1869, work in the church, In 1888, outside the cloister, addition of a wing perpendicular to the classrooms, dormitories.
In 1907, following the law of separation of Church and State , departure of the Ursulines and installation of a superior primary school for young girls. As early as 1907, a project aimed at dividing the former land dependent on the Bel Air farm into lots was born, the basis of a new district near the train station and Place Saint-Michel. But it was only after 1920, following the demolition of the Bel Air farm and the establishment of a network of roads serving the future residential district, that the estate was gradually subdivided and offered for sale. Between 1925 and 1935, the area was urbanized, Between 1941 and 1944, under the Nazis occupation, the requisitioned buildings served as barracks and Gestapo headquarters. In 1946, they regained their function as a public school and now house the Collége Jules Ferry (middle school). The former conventual church, owned by the City of Quimperlé, has served as an exhibition space since 1996.
The local Quimperlé Terre Océane tourist office on things to see in Quimperlé: https://www.quimperle-terreoceane.com/en/discover/our-towns/quimperle/
The city of Quimperlé on the city identity: https://www.quimperle.bzh/decouvrir-la-ville/quimperle/carte-didentite/
There you go folks, another dandy monument in beautiful fortified Quimperlé! This was just passing by but worth a closer look eventually. Hope you enjoy my latest road warrior tour and stay tune for more.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 
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