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 my last stop in the town of Réguiny a planned stop ,and saw a wonderful church good enough to included it in my blog, Therefore, here is the first on the Church of Saint Clair of Réquiny !! Hope you enjoy it as I.
The town of Réguiny is located near Crédin, Naizin, Moréac, Radenac, and Pleugriffet. It is 12 km from Rohan, 22 km from Pontivy, 28 km from Ploërmel, 39 km from Vannes., and 41 km from my house!
The history of the Church Saint Clair of Réguiny is first of all that of its parish and, perhaps even, going back further in time, that of the evangelization of the locality, the small Gallo-Roman town of Regina, by Saint Clair, on whose tomb an oratory was built, then, right next to it, the primitive church.
The Saint-Clair Church built between 1899-1906), started in 1899 , and blessed on September 8 1906. It replaces an older church with nave and transept. The monumental bell tower and its spire were not started until 1904. A funerary slab with the effigy of a bishop in pontifical ornaments, called Saint Clair, which dates from the 17C, has been preserved. The tomb of Saint Clair consists, in fact, of a flat stone decorated with a bas-relief representing the saint in bishop’s costume with the miter and the crosier. The church houses the statues of the Child Jesus, Saint Joseph and the Virgin Mary. The windows of the choir, date from 1905.
The Saint Clair Church and tomb of the saint. Saint Clair was the first Bishop of Nantes towards the end of the 3C.It is ,said that Réguiny guards the fountain, the tomb and the head of Saint Clair, The fountain as it is very rare that every saint in Brittany does not have his own. The one shown at Réguiny is about a km from the town, close to the village of Kerbellec and located in 1876 on private property. A rather heavy construction in granite covers it: at the bottom is the statue of the bishop. A pool, intended for the ablutions of the sick, receives the overflow of water, Feast of Blessed Clair, bishop and confessor. This saint was the first bishop of the Church of Nantes, who, sent by the Roman Pontiff to this same Church, brought with him the nail which Saint Peter had on his right hand during his martyrdom, and which we have in great veneration. But the inaccuracy of certain dates and of a few details nevertheless leaves the certainty that Saint Clair sowed the gospel truths throughout upper Brittany. The Church of Vannes is as positive on this point as that of Nantes. Not only Réguiny shows the tomb and the fountain of Saint Clair; the village of Kerbellec (literally,Breton for the house of the priest) is still indicated as the place where he resided, and the surrounding parishes, such as the cathedral of Nantes and the church of Réguiny, are honored to owe their foundation to the same missionary. Deciphered the mutilated inscription that surrounds the venerated tomb at Réguiny. This inscription lets us read that Saint Clair died in this place, in the year 96. Others, on the contrary, set the date of his death at the late 3C, around 275 and even at the beginning of the 4C at 309. The tomb of Saint Clair, the apostle of the Nantes region, can be seen in a small chapel, called Saint Clair, near the parish church of Réguiny, in the cemetery. The constant tradition of the Church of Vannes that the head remained in Réguiny, where he still is, and one arm in the chapel of the Hospice, in Josselin, where he is still honored, in the sanctuary, near the altar . According to a tradition that the Church of Vannes has adopted and which seems unassailable, the head of Saint Clair would never have left Réguiny. For centuries, at least, its presence has been noted there in the most formal way. There is a slab decorated with a bas-relief representing the saint wearing his miter and carrying his crosier is his supposed tomb.
Finally, a bit of history I like. The Bretons, who arrived in this area from the 6C, implanted their language and their customs there. All the old names of villages are still Breton, During the French revolution, the chouannerie (rebels against the French revolution ideas) was very active, like everywhere in Brittany. There was notably a certain chief Cobigo, attached to the division of Colonel Guillemot, known as the “king of Bignan”. During WWII, Réguiny played a significant role in the resistance. An English airman, the Lieutenant-Colonel Clifford, died there, his grave is in the cemetery and a street bears his name.
The town of Réguiny for info : https://www.reguiny.com/
Unfortunately, not much information on the town webpage or tourist sites, the information above is from brochures in the church and the history on the town as well as Breton web sources, There you go folks, another dandy in my Morbihan, always amazing finds, I end this trip in Réguiny ; road warrior ways are the best way to see and know the country, any country, I hope you enjoy these posts and especially my last stop of today on the Church Saint Clair of Réquiny !!
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 