In my road warrior trips in my neck of the woods, I continue to amaze myself of the wonders encounter here, the monuments, the architecture, and history never stops. On my road warrior trails coming back passed by the town of Neuillac and saw this chapel so decided to stop by deep into the countryside surrounded by residential country houses,and found the superb Notre Dame de Carmés Chapel and fountain. I found me new pictures in my cd rom vault that should be in my blog for you and me, Therefore, here is my take again on the Chapelle Notre Dame de Carmés of Neuillac, part II !!! Hope you like the post as I.
The Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Carmès Chapel is located in the village of Carmés part of the town of Neulliac in my beautiful Morbihan, and my lovely Bretagne, and in my belle France. It is off road D767 into the chemin de Carmés rural road, there is parking terrain just 50 meters from it that you must get off, and walk to the chapel. Just lovely homes around it too. The chapel thanks to the patronage of the Rohan family, was built on a Latin cross layout with a single aisle with a choir with a flat apse . This chapel was restored in the 18C and in the 20C. The word Carmès evokes Mont-Carmel.
The Chapelle Notre-Dame de Carmès is typically polylithic and has the oldest and most important wall paintings recounting the main episodes in the life of Christ and the Virgin, on the panel showing the Coronation of Christ. The western porch and the nave date from the end of the 15C to the beginning of the 16C. The braces and the choir were completely redone in 1768. The upper parts of the bell tower were redone in the 18C. A large square granite tower, surmounted by a slate covered spire, houses a large entrance porch on the south side. This porch is covered with a paneling and its walls are painted with portraits of the apostles. A turret, polygonal part, cylindrical part, encloses the access staircase. From the 15C, the transept, the nave and the beginning of the choir remain. The bell tower-porch is also from this period, it bears the date 1521.
It is to the work of the 18C that the Notre Dame de Carmés Chapel owes the current vault, its sumptuous interior decoration and its choir extended by an axial sacristy. The choir is undoubtedly contemporary with the sacristy to which its apse is leaned. The richness of the decoration of the chapel is due to its painted paneling which conceals the vault. Painted in 1705 by La Palme, an artist perhaps of Spanish origin, they were completed by Deduy in 1778 and restored by Blévin in 1814. Inside trompe l’oeil compartments, they develop the life of the virgin and the mysteries of the Rosary above the portraits of the Evangelists, the Fathers and the Reformers of the Church in addition to that of King Louis XIII. The central painting, above which is a Virgin and Child, represents the gift of the Rosary by the Virgin to Saint Dominic and to Saint Catherine of Siena, and at the ends are the statues of Saint Stephen and Saint Lawrence , carrying respectively a large stone and a grill, instruments of their torture. It is one of the elements of the series of fifteen paintings of the Rosary which ends with the coronation of the Virgin. In this iconographic theme to the glory of the Counter-Reformation, we believe, however, to guess Luther, whose ideas the family of Rohan, sponsor of the whole, early rallied. On the wall of the bedside, the main altar is inscribed in a large wooden altarpiece. The noble floor is spread out in three shutters drawn by Corinthian columns which simulate marble.
The Fontaine de Notre Dame de la Clarté de Carmes located 150 meters from the Carmés chapel, is of Neo-classical style in granite, it must date from the end of the 18C beginning of the 19C. The triangular pediment is surmounted by the cross. The niche houses a polychrome statue of the Virgin and Child. The water from the fountain is said to be beneficial for treating eye ailments.
The official Chapelle Notre Dame de Carmés: https://www.carmes.org/
The city of Neuillac on its heritage: https://www.neulliac.fr/patrimoine/
There you go folks, a masterpiece Chapelle Notre Dame de Carmés that needs to be seen and seen again the inside of it. Another dandy monument close to me 45 min drive and so much architecture and history around it. I say worth the detour in my Morbihan. Again, hope you enjoy this post on the Chapelle Notre Dame de Carmés of Neuillac, part II !!! as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health ,and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 