Paris1972-Versailles2003

And moving right along my adopted region and country, there are always new wonderful things to see, This is the case on my newest road warrior trips to see some fond memorable towns and passing by new ones such as this one, Kervignan, The Bridge of the Good Men or Bonhomme was a nice sight that could not resist my camera and the reason for this post, Hope you enjoy the post as I.

The town of Kervignac is located in my beautiful department of Morbihan 56 , in my lovely region of Bretagne, and in my belle France. It constitutes the Blavet Bellevue Ocean Community, with the towns of Merlevenez, Nostang, Plouhinec and Sainte-Hélène. The town of Kervignac is separated from the town of Lanester by the Blavet estuary, which can be crossed by the Pont du Bonhomme bridge.

The monument I saw on this trip was the Pont du Bonhomme bridge which as said connects the towns of Kervignac and Lanester by crossing the Blavet river on the road D 194, The bridge in the 20C, replaced the ferry which was previously used at the end of the 19C. Between 1903 and 1904, the 237 meter bridge was under construction and the resistance tests having proved conclusive, the bridge was opened to traffic on November 11, 1904. A second 200 meters bridge was then erected. It was opened to the public in 1974. the panoramic view of the Blavet river and its 2 small boat mooring ports of Kervignac and Saint Guénaël in Lanester is a nice view. Also very close to there, the Kerhervy boat cemetery, The Pont du Bonhomme takes its name from a rock in the shape of a man’s head. The statues (the man on the pillar on the Kervignac side and the good woman on the Lanester side) are resin copies of the wooden works of the sculptor Goanvic which are kept in a museum in Hennebont,

Other things to see here me think are the Domaine de Kerlivio which park covers the towns of Kervignac and Brandérion. The Dolmen of Tri-Men-de-Castello, near the road RD 765. The Chapel of Our Lady of Clarity in the village of Locadour, 16C ,the Church of Our Lady of Mercy , and the Castle of Locguénolé, 19C,

This town is known for facts related to the Revolt of the bonnet rouge or red caps from September 1675. The Revolt of the Stamped Paper is an anti-tax revolt of the old regime (monarchy) in the west of France, under the reign of king Louis XIV , following an increase in taxes, including that on stamped paper, required for authentic deeds. The town of Kervignac was completely destroyed during WWII during the bombardments of the pocket of Lorient. The church was rebuilt and provided with beautiful modern stained glass windows.

The town of Kervignac on its heritage so the bridge: https://www.kervignac.bzh/decouvrir-bouger/histoire-et-patrimoine/patrimoine-bati

The local Lorient South Brittany tourist office on Kervignac, pont de bonhomme: https://www.lorientbretagnesudtourisme.fr/fr/immanquables/lanester/lanester-pont-du-bonhomme/

There you go folks, a dandy pont du bonhomme in new visited Kervignac on the road D194 to Erdeven, Again, hope you enjoy the post on the new visit town of Kervignac as I

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!

And I am in my road warrior mode again, getting back to normal life and enjoying travel again, I decided to come back and re visit some of the nice towns of my beautiful Morbihan which have been left unvisited for quite a while now, This is the case of the nice historical town of Plouharnel, I like to tell you about another abbey in town (see other abbey post) , with new text and pictures on the Abbey of Sainte Anne de Kergonan of Plouharnel. Hope you enjoy the post as I.

The Abbey of Sainte-Anne de Kergonan is a Benedictine Abbey and is part of the Solesmes congregation.The jewel of neo-roman art, the Abbey is built in grey granite. The monks ‘ Church was built in 1968 , and comprises a set of non-figurative stained glass.

The Abbey of Sainte Anne de Kergonan little story  started in 1897  when  10 monks who came from Solesmes, under the guidance of dom Paulin Joumier are welcomed at Kergonan . In 1901 the religious buildings are not allowed (sep state and church ) and the monks leave for Belgium, In 1910 the Château de Kergonan, seat of the Sainte-Anne de Kergonan abbey, was put up for sale: the property comprises a vast building recently built in blue granite, having served as a monastery, with two floors, water on each floor , steam heating, courtyard, large pleasure park and vegetable garden; guard house, The property is turn into a school; in 1914 the community becomes autonomous; and the monks come back from exile in 1920.  In 1942, the monastery, close to the Atlantic Wall of WWII, and  is commandeered by the Nazis. The monks seek refuge in the Chartreuse of Brech (see post) . By 1943, the community settles at the castle of  Nétumières, near Vitré. By  1946, the monks come back from exile. In 1968 the construction of the abbey church is began.

At the Abbey of Sainte-Anne de Kergonan, the monks’ day is punctuated as follows: The vigils, the first office which brings the community together in the church for a prayer of psalms and readings. The lauds, the great office of morning praise. After breakfast, grooming and cleaning, the monks continue their lectio divina ( divine reading) in the cell. The sung mass, introduced by the psalms of tierce. The sext office precedes the 13h meal in the refectory. Lunching in silence, the monks listen to a reading, then proceed directly to the office of none, followed by recreation. The afternoon is devoted to manual work for exterior maintenance, crafts… Vespers: great evening service to say thank you and Pardon God for the past day. Then, several times a week, the community meets to hear a spiritual teaching from the Father Abbot. After dinner (19h30), the Office of Compline is the prayer that brings the monks together before dark. The offices and the mass are sung in Gregorian, according to the tradition of the congregation of Solesmes.

The crafts occupy an important place in the daily life of Benedictine monks. The monastery shop offers handicrafts ,apples, compotes, ceramics and earthenware, CDs of Gregorian chant made by the monks of Sainte-Anne, but also products from other monasteries and local crafts, A large section is dedicated to books. A few religious magazines and a large choice of postcards, prayer cards drawn by the monks, images and bookmarks are also created.

The recently renovated Saint Martin Hotel can accommodate people who wish to stay at the monastery for a few days for a retreat, a spiritual weekend in Morbihan or a spiritual break in Brittany. 15 rooms are available.

The official Abbey Sainte Anne de Kergonan : https://www.kergonan.org/

The local Bay of Quiberon tourist office on the abbeys of Plouharnel : https://www.baiedequiberon.co.uk/explore/walking-in-the-bay-of-quiberon/walking-trails/plouharnel-circuit-of-the-abbeys-2

The city of Plouharnel on its heritage so the abbeys: http://www.mairieplouharnel.fr/fr/information/87929/histoire-patrimoine

There you go folks, a dandy monument so easy to visit peaceful , great architecture and history and lots of goodies to buy at the boutique too, Really worth the detour to see the Abbey of Sainte Anne de Kergonan of Plouharnel, Again,hope you enjoy the post as I.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!

I like to take you again to areas where had wonderful experiences and great monuments, such as at  Plouharnel, It’s another gem in my beautiful Morbihan , and lovely Bretagne and in my belle France ! I like to tell you again with my latest road warrior pics and a tad of text on the historically nice Chapelle de Sainte Barbe of Plouharnel. Hope you enjoy the post as I.

For a long time, the village of Sainte-Barbe remained isolated from the rest of the Quiberon peninsula. About fifty families lived there in family clans comparable to the Welsh or Scottish clans. Divided into several districts, the village was then called Pen-er-Bloé, which means “the end of the parish” in Breton. Today, Sainte-Barbe is one of the rare villages on the coast to have preserved an old and homogeneous building from the 16C and 17C. The farmhouses communicate with each other by dry stone walls and narrow alleys while the fountains, ovens and washhouses recall the habits and customs of another time.

The Chapelle de Sainte Barbe  (Santa Barbara) which has a history of the Chouans rebels that were here camping with Gen Cadoudal back in 1795; they fought the French revolution. The bell tower has been famous since General Hoche (native of Versailles and revolutionary) established an observatory post there around 1795 during the Quiberon affair. In the choir, we discover the life and martyrdom of Saint Barbara

The City of Plouharnel on its heritage so the chapel :http://www.mairieplouharnel.fr/fr/information/87929/histoire-patrimoine

The Association of Friends of the Chapel Santa Barbara :https://chapelle-sainte-barbe.weebly.com/

There you go folks, a nice town to visit with history all around you and a nice Chapelle de Sainte Barbe of Plouharnel. Again, hope you enjoy this post as I.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!