This a memorable spot for us in my beautiful Morbihan and lovely Bretagne, I do have other post on it but found me new pictures that should be in my blog. Hope you enjoy this whimsical town and its Church of Notre-Dame-de-la-Tronchaye of Rochefort en Terre !!
The Notre-Dame-de-la-Tronchaye Church is curiously located below the town, and built on sloping ground. What strikes you from the entrance are the leaning pillars, evidence of landslides to the south, then to the west. To prevent the church from collapsing, buttresses were built, giving rise, to the south, to an additional aisle parallel to the nave, and to the west, to the lengthening of the nave which allowed the construction of a grandstand. The Notre-Dame-de-la-Tronchaye Church, which became a collegiate church in 1498, was endowed in 1527 with a north facade in the Flamboyant Gothic style.
The outlying location of the Notre Dame de la Tronchaye Church is atypical. Indeed, the popular tradition tells that in the 10C, at the time of the Norman invasions (Vikings), a priest hid, in a hollow tree trunk, a wooden statue representing the Virgin and her child in order to save it from looting. . Two centuries later, a shepherdess would have found this statue in this same trunk; a church was then built there, on the very spot where the statue was found. This story even gave it its name, “Notre-Dame de la Tronchaye”. Indeed, the term “Tronchaye” would come from the word “trunk”.
On the square stands a sculpted Calvary, nicknamed the Bible of the poor because it was used by priests to teach the Bible to the illiterate. The sculptures are carved in granite. This Calvary would be the only one in Brittany to represent the Passion and Ascension of Christ. This is also where the Rochefort cemetery was located until the middle of the 19C.
The City of Rochefort en Terre on the Church : http://www.rochefort-en-terre.fr/la-collegiale/
The Rochefort en Terre tourist office on the Church: https://en.rochefortenterre-tourisme.bzh/offers/church-notre-dame-de-la-tronchaye-rochefort-en-terre-en-3036712/
There you go folks , the Church Notre Dame de la Tronchaye, is magical. One of the sights to see in town and worth the detour , me think, Again, hope you enjoy the post as I
And remember, happy travels , good health,and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 
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