Again, back in my road warrior mode in my beautiful Morbihan dept 56 of my lovely Bretagne and in my belle France, The possibilities are endless and I am just starting, really ! I went today to several towns never before been and the trip was awesome with me the boys and Rex, our dog, Cruising right along I came into the town of Rohan a planned stop ,and saw a wonderful church,and market good enough to included it in my blog, Therefore, here is the first on the Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Bonne-Encontre ,and Halles of Rohan ! Hope you enjoy it as I.
The town of Rohan is located about 51 km from my house and on the old lordship of the Rohan dukes of Brittany. There is a nice small marina or Port de Plaisance de Rohan along the Nantes Brest canal! Here on the Oust river and alongside the road D125. A tourist information point has been opened at the lock house, near the Chapelle Notre Dame de Bonne-Encontre. Along this same canal, walkers and cyclists can walk to the abbey of Timadeuc (see post). On the canal, you can also go canoeing thanks to the CKC (Rohan canoe-kayak club).Nice nature we shall be back.
Rohan is the place of origin of the family of Rohan in the viscounty of Porhoët which was before the 11C a dependency of Rennes , The founding charter of the Priory of Rohan in 1127 constitutes the birth certificate of the city which then presents a tripartite configuration of castle, monastic village, and lordship village on a reduced and uneven living area of around fifty hectares. During the War of the Succession of Brittany, the city was taken by the Earl of Northampton, looted and burned in 1342. John I of Rohan repaired the fortress and rebuilt the city In 1418, the city lost the title of seat of the Viscounty of Rohan for the benefit of Pontivy, Already in ruins when the French revolution occurred, the castle has now disappeared. In the middle of the 19C, its stones were given to the Trappists by the tenth Duke of Rohan to build the Abbey of Notre-Dame de Timadeuc in Bréhan (see post)
I came to see the Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Bonne-Encontre (16C),( Our Lady of Goodwill) is located in the village of Saint-Samson, part of the town of Rohan at a place called Le Point du Jour, Built by Jean II de Rohan to replace the old chapel of the first castle of 1104, it preserves an inscription of its foundation engraved on a stone of the south facade. The patron saint of the place is present here in the form of a Virgin and Child. We also note the coat of arms of the Rohans, composed of six half-parts of Rohan, and two ermines, half-parts of Brittany, recalling the union of Jean II de Rohan with Marie de Bretagne, daughter of François 1st Duke of Brittany.
Another wonderful sight is the Halle aux grains or cereals covered market is from the end of the 17C. In the first half of the 20C, a real destructive wave led to the disappearance of almost all the wooden halls. The rescue of the grain market in Rohan will make it one of the last 5 witnesses of these “wooden nerfs”, magnificent works of carpentry. It is call the halle aux grains, built between 1682 and 1700. Open hall with two sections of a single nerf of 8 spans,and oak frame, with a length of 24 meters, width 8 meters, floor surface 194 m2, and height at the ridge 6.76 meters. The statue of its sponsor Jean II de Rohan 15me Viscount of Rohan is right next to the halle.
Other things to see with more time, and we will back are :
The Saint-Gobrien Church, fedicated to Saint-Gobrien, the parish church of Rohan dates from the end of the 19C. It is a modern building, in the Gothic style, built in 1897 to replace the old chapel of Saint-Gobrien which became the parish church in 1653, restored and enlarged many times and finally demolished. The present church was blessed and opened for worship on April 29, 1897. The Saint-Gouvry Church ,16C was rebuilt in the 17C, and restored in 1968 !, of the original church, only the bedside bay and its stained glass window remain. The stained glass window in the chancel window dates from the 16C. In the shape of a fleur-de-lys, it depicts the characters of the Crucifixion, and bears the coat of arms of Brittany, the Rohans and the Le Moyne de Talhouët, Bréhaut and Clisson families. A bronze bell dates from 1756. The communion table and the pulpit date from the 19C. Note also a reliquary head of Saint-Gouvry in painted wood and dated from the 17C. The Saint-Samson Church, was rebuilt in 1904 on the foundations of the old 15C parish church, the church retains octagonal baptismal fonts from this period. Made of cut stone, it is a very slender building which notably houses a polychrome wooden statue of Saint-Isidore, patron saint of farmers.
The Town of Rohan and its heritage : https://www.rohan.fr/d%C3%A9couvrir-rohan/histoire-et-patrimoine/patrimoine/
The site go out in Brittany with info on the Halles: https://www.sortir-en-bretagne.fr/visiter-2186/rohan/halles-de-rohan.html
There you go folks, another dandy in my Morbihan, always amazing finds, I continue in my road warrior trips, the best way to see and know the country, any country, I hope you enjoy these posts and especially today on the Chapelle Notre Dame de Bonne Encontre , and Halles of Rohan !!
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 
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