Guer is located in my beautiful Morbihan department 56, in my lovely Bretagne of my belle France. It is bordering the Paimpont forest, often identified as the mythical forest of Brocéliande, where the legend of Merlin the enchanter, the fairy Morgane and the fairy Viviane is woven. Indeed magical area ! We came back to it for the town and its monuments and it was great, Do see my other posts on the town in my blog, Let me tell you a bit more of the Church of Saint Gurval of Guer and hope you enjoy the post as I.
The wonderful Church of Saint Gurval, there was a church here since the 9C when it was mentioned of the arrival of St Gurval as ermite in the 7C and gave its name. The actual church is built from 1807 to 1847,in the form of a Latin cross, with new renovations done in 1870. It is a wonderful little church. Do see the Odorico mosaic on the ground, reliquary shrine and alabaster from the 15C, statues, life-size 18C banner of 1864. The current interior layout dates from 1870. The creation of the furniture for the choir and the side altars were done in 1899.
How about telling you a bit on Saint Gurval. He died on June 6, 628, was a Breton saint reputed to be the 6C 2nd Bishop of Aleth, ( In Armorica, Aleth was for a time the capital of the Celtic people of Coriosolites , then became a Gallo-Roman stronghold, a city in the Middle Ages and finally a fortress in the following centuries. Saint Gurval was born in the British Isles as Maclou. He was a pupil of Saint Brendan and became abbot-bishop of the monastery founded by the latter after him. He was consecrated bishop of Aleth following Maclou at the end of 566 but he only occupied the episcopal see for 16 months until the beginning of 569. Because he retired to live alone in a hermitage in Porhoët where later the town of Guer. then in the 9C during the time of the Viking invasions in the Abbey of Saint-Pierre-au-Mont-Blandin near Ghent in Belgium. Part of his relics then returned to Guer. In the “great abbey near Guer”, a Romanesque chapel would mark the place of his hermitage. In the 19C, his 9C tomb was discovered by the rector of Locoal.
The town of Guer and its history page under construction now: https://www.ville-guer.fr/transitions/histoire-et-patrimoine/
The Guer-Coetquidan Broceliande tourist office on the Church and more on Guer : http://www.guer-coetquidan-broceliande.fr/bisto/guer/guer2.html
There you go folks, another gem and an off the beaten path town of Guer ! This was a revisit, new pictures on the wonderful Church of Saint Gurval ; do see my other posts on the town. Hope you enjoy the post as I
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
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