Archive for March 5th, 2023

March 5, 2023

The fortified town of Alarcon !!

Driving in our road warrior ways thru Castilla La Mancha was awesome, we spent several summers here and always in our minds to come back. Memories flashing in my mind hard to come up with words but we still remember those gone from our lives but not our minds.  Alarcon is one memorable town ,only about 87 km from Cuenca the province capital city. I have written other posts on Alarcon but need to update this older post on links and text and for the memories of always, Hope you enjoy it as I

We rode alone up from Belmonte (see posts) to Alarcon on the road N420 and then the old N III. You come on a mountaineous area throught the gate of the bridge or Puerta del Puente. You see immediately the castle like a spiral on a hill as you come around by car up the hilly road into the main square of town. The town takes its name from king  Alarico,a visigoth that conquest the fortress from the Romans; today you can still see the ramparts wall of this fortress. By  784, it took refuge here the Moorish invaders and the siege on it took about nine months , that the Moors call the Spanish conqueror Fernán Martínez de Ceballos in 1184 the year of Alarcon. The castle today is a small parador or tourist residence you can rent out!.

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alarcon-torre-del-puente-ramparts-aug16

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The Torre del Canavete  belongs to the defensive set of Alarcón, forming part of the most advanced defenses. It protected a wall that closes the isthmus to prevent the attacker from reaching Alarconcillo and from there to Alarcón.

alarcon-torre-del-canavete-ramparts-aug16

The Torre de los Alarconcillos was built in the first part of the 14C, when it was decided to cede the lands of Alarcón to the infante Juan Manuel. At this time, we know today as Torre de los Alarconcillos. Some time later, it passed into the hands of the Marquises of Villena, with whom the Catholic Monarchs had several disputes. Therefore, numerous battles took place on this site, being a clear center of resistance of this marquisate against the kings.

alarcon-torre-de-los-alarconcillos-ramparts-aug16

The Torre del Campo was built in the 14C by the Infante Don Juan Manuel, hence the Infante’s coat of arms is on its south façade. The tower was built next to one of the meanders that the river Júcar, to defend its homonymous Puerta del Campo, which was, according to its location, the access to the first of the 3 walled enclosures that Alarcón had. It is known as Torre del Campo, because it is oriented towards the countryside or towards the outskirts of the town. Access to this tower, almost 20 meters high, was and is made, through its west façade, through a door located some 6 meters from the ground and a factory staircase that is currently missing its second section.

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There is another interesting church that we tried to include on this visit but no time , that is the Church of Santo Domingo in late Romanesque style from the 12C . We did next time.

The Alarcon tourist office :https://alarconguiado.es/

The Castilla La Mancha regional tourist office on Alarcon:  http://en.www.turismocastillalamancha.es/patrimonio/alarcon-44031/descripcion/

For reference the Parador of Alarcon : https://paradores.es/en/parador-de-alarcon

There you go folks, this is one town to visit as it is conveniently in the direction of Valencia and the beaches from Madrid along the A3 expressway worthy of a visit ,me think. Again, hope you enjoy the post on the fortified town of Alarcon as I.

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

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March 5, 2023

The Church Saint Trémeur of Kergloff !!

In my road warrior trips in my lovely Bretagne of my belle France! This is awesome, I was visiting Carhaix (see posts) and saw a church which I thought was there but not, it was actually in the town of Kergloff so off I went ; more amazing sights to show in my blog for me and to the world, This is the wonderful off the beaten path town of Kergloff up in my Finistére dept 29, Hope you enjoy the post as I.

The town of Kergloff is near Carhaix only 4 km away, It is also located at 37 km from Morlaix, 55 km from Guingamp , and 85 km from Brest. It is about 92 km from my house.

The parish Church of Saint-Trémeur, dedicated to Saint Trémeur, in neo-Gothic style, was rebuilt between 1881 and 1887 on the site of the former collegiate church built in 1370 and remained collegiate until 1790. Only remains of the old building the bell tower-porch of flamboyant Gothic style (1529-1535), See the altar of Notre-Dame-du-Frout. And Altar of Saint Tremeur (right side altar). The initial church  was established around 1371 in place of a Priory founded in the 12C  by the Benedictines of Redon. The belfry has long openings forming the top floor of the square tower. The bell tower is the only vestige of the old church built between 1529 and 1535, The Sacristy is from 1697, In the tympanum of the double door, at the base of the bell tower, is the statue of Saint Trémeur. A double blunder crowns the gate and for the newer part of 1882, a neo-Gothic style was used. The Choir of the church ends with a flat bedside opened by a large open bay culminating about ten meters. 

Kergloff Ch Saint Tremeur front1 kergloff Mar23

Kergloff Ch Saint Tremeur front kergloff Mar23

The Choir and transept walls are painted with figures of the Coronation of the Virgin ,maybe her assumption and the Holy Trinity dated 1751 and restore in 1858, The symbol of Saint Trémeur remind of his martyrdom, His father Conomor have him decapitated to conserve his title as Count of Poher, Trémeur goes to the tomb of his mother Tréphine, also, killed by Conomor;holding his head in his hands.

Kergloff Ch Saint Tremeur side entr kergloff Mar23

Kergloff Ch Saint Tremeur side belltower kergloff Mar23

A bit of history tell us that between 1589 and 1598, like all of Poher, Kergloff was involved in the wars of the League, From July 6 to October 12, 1675, the Revolt of the Bonnet Rouges or Red Bonnets around Carhaix was led by Sébastien Le Balp, born in Moulin Meur en Kergloff, son of millers. He was sent to prison from 1673 to 1675, and after his release, revolted against injustice, he took the lead of the rebellion which looted mansions and castles, He was finally killed by the Marquis de Montgaillard at the castle of Tymeur in Poullaouen , his corpse was hastily buried before being dug up, decapitated and placed on a wheel at the entrance of the village to serve as an example.

Other things to see me think are :
The Chapel of the Trinity is located in the village of Saint-Drezouarn part of Kergloff ,and dates partly from the 18C, its steeple bearing the date of 1723; it has 18C altarpiece above the altar with an effigy of the Good Shepherd and bas-relief medallions of Christ and the Virgin; it has several statues including those of Saint Herbot, Saint Eloi, Saint Barbara and the Holy Trinity. It was sold as national property during the French revolution. A niche carved into the west wall contains a few bones including a skull that tradition claims to be that of Sébastien Le Balp. The Notre-Dame-du-Bon-Secours Chapel is dated from 1817; abandoned and threatening ruin, it was restored at the end of the 1990s.

The town of Kergloff on the churchhttps://www.kergloff.fr/accueil_kergloff/la_commune/leglise

The Carhaix Poher tourist office on the churchhttps://www.carhaixpohertourisme.bzh/offres/leglise-saint-tremeur-kergloff-fr-3858934/

There you go folks, a huge off the beaten path town north of me, This is Kergloff, and its worth the detour me think, Again, hope you enjoy the post as I.

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

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March 5, 2023

The parish Church of Saint-Pierre of Carhaix !!

In my road warrior trips in my lovely Bretagne of my belle France! This is awesome, i past by this town briefly and had no pictures, the decided today to take a trip there with the boys and take a closer look to find more amazing sights to show in my blog for me and to the world, This is the wonderful off the beaten path town of Carhaix for short up in my Finistére dept 29, Hope you enjoy the post on the St Peter’s Church as I.

Carhaix ch Saint Pierre front mar23

Carhaix ch Saint Pierre side belltower mar23

Carhaix ch Saint Pierre side left mar23The parish Church of Saint-Pierre de Plouguer , is impressive and had the opportunity to see it up close and personal . It was originally a Romanesque church, it was founded in 1108 for the priory created by the Benedictine monks of Saint-Sauveur de Redon,. It was Viscount Tanguy de Poher who built this church. It is one of the eight oldest sanctuaries in Brittany still standing, and the oldest in the town of Carhaix. In the 16-17C, we speak of Plou-Ker-Karahes: the parish of the town of Carhaix. During the French revolution, Carhaix and Plouguer became two independent parishes. The municipalities of Carhaix and Plouguer were also set up, which would not merge until 1957.

Carhaix ch Saint Pierre altar mar23

Carhaix ch Saint Pierre back inside mar23

Carhaix ch Saint Pierre organ side mar23

Thus the Church of Saint-Pierre de Plouguer dates back, for its oldest Romanesque parts such as the interior of the nave, to the 11C. Its southern porch has a very particular horseshoe arcade, probably dating from the 18C, The Church Saint Pierre de Plouguer was built on a basilica plan. The church implements both the Romanesque and Gothic side. We can see this because it was in the Romanesque period that this church was consecrated. Romanesque art developed from the 10C and extended until the 12C. This art is characterized above all by its barrel vaults, its cross vaults and by the construction of buttresses to stop the thrust. Romanesque buildings are relatively low and have thick walls and low light inside, due to few and often small windows. Regarding the church, it has been altered several times, because the sacristy was rebuilt in 1514. This church has a particular style regarding its southern porch, it has a horseshoe arcade. The nave is of Gothic origin as it was remodeled in the 16C.

Carhaix ch Saint Pierre chapel virgin et child royal mar23

Carhaix ch Saint Pierre chapel virgin et child mar23

Of the Romanesque construction,  the nave remains: on the north side, four bays are preserved. On the south side, only two and a half spans ,partly walled up, remain. It is characterized by its high third-point arcades carried by octagonal pillars. The nave and the side aisles are covered with a unique two-sided roof. A steeple-porch imitating that of Saint-Trémeur,(see post) in more modest, is raised to the west in the extension of the nave.

Carhaix ch Saint Pierre Chapel mar23

A bit of history I like, and a nice one Carhaix has indeed, but will condence much for ease of reading, on this post.

It was in 1206 that Carhaix entered the ducal domain of the Duke of Brittany, when the existence of a Viscount of Poher, in this case Rivallon III, was also mentioned for the last time. In 1341, the  bishop of Léon, who held the castle of Carhaix for Charles de Blois(see post) had to capitulate to the troops of Jean de Montfort.The Monfortists were driven out by Bertrand du Guesclin in 1363 after a six-week siege. It was through a postern in the garden of the Augustinian convent that the troops of Charles de Blois slipped into the enclosure. The enclosure was then demolished and Carhaix became an open town. In 1365, the Treaty of Guérande, which followed the death of Charles de Blois, kept the domain of Jeanne de Penthièvre, including the castellany of Carhaix. The treaty of Aucfer of 1395 confirms the possessions of Penthièvres. In 1420, the goods of Penthièvres are confiscated by Jean V and are attached directly to the duke of Brittany,  On June 5, 1432, Charles de Blois and Jeanne de Penthièvre occupied Carhaix before joining it on June 13 at the siege of Hennebont.  

In July 1588, the town and its inhabitants swore loyalty to King Henry III and the Holy League. On October 12, 1595, the army of Henry IV, commanded by François d’Espinay de Saint-Luc, lieutenant general of Brittany, entered Carhaix where the population celebrated it., The town was at the center of the peasant uprising known as the Bonnets rouges or Revolt of the Red Caps between July 6 and October 12, 1675 with grave consequences for the participants, As part of the Counter-Reformation, three new convents were established in the town in the 17C, the Ursulines ( education) in 1644, that of the Discalced Carmelites (public charity) in 1687, and that of the Hospitallers (hospital) completed in 1698.

In September 1791, during the French revolution, the National Assembly decreed the merger into a single parish, under the invocation of Saint-Trémeur, of the parishes and truces of Carhaix, Plounévézel, Sainte-Catherine, Saint-Quijeau and Treffrin , Refusing to give up monastic life, the monks of the Carmelite convent were expelled in 1790 and those of the Augustinian convent in 1791. The nuns were expelled on April 13, 1792 against the will of the inhabitants (they returned in 1811). During the Terror, Carhaix was under the control of a “Committee of Six” made up of extremist Jacobins; there were many lootings, for example the very rich library of the Château de Kerampuil, formed by several generations of advisers to the Parliament of Brittany. The counter revolutionary Chouans scoured the Carhaix region led mainly by De Bar from the summer of 1792. After 1805, De Bar eventually emigrated to England to escape prosecution.

In the 19C and in the first decades of the 20C, Carhaix was truly obsessed with the memory of La Tour d’Auvergne, its “great man”, in favor of whom it multiplied commemorations and various festivals, often with the arrival of national personalities. , for more than a century. In 1841, the inauguration of his statue gave rise to a grandiose celebration. That day inaugurated, as we know, the statue of the “first grenadier of France”.

The City of Carhaix on its heritagehttps://www.ville-carhaix.bzh/accueil_carhaix/decouvrir_carhaix/patrimoine

The official Carhaix-Poher tourist office on its heritage: https://www.carhaixpohertourisme.bzh/visiter-et-bouger/culture-et-patrimoine/le-patrimoine-de-carhaix/

There you go folks, a huge off the beaten path town north of me, This is Carhaix for short, and its worth the detour me think, Again, hope you enjoy the post as I.

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

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