Page 146 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Brittany

144  brit t an y region b y region

or pathetic attitudes make
up an earthy and unusual
depiction of the life of Christ.
Inside the church is an organ
built by Thomas Dallam, and
an altarpiece of St Joseph in the
Laval style. The baptismal fonts,
dating from 1675, are graced
by elegant spiral columns.

g St-Thégonnec
Road map B2. 13 km (8 miles) south
of Morlaix via the D769. * 2,310. The altarpiece, set at the
£ Morlaix. n Town Hall; (02) 98 79 back of the altar, provides a
61 06. focal point for prayer. This one
depicts St Joseph.
The porch of the parish
The church in St-Thégonnec, once one of close here is in a triumphal Guimiliau Parish Close
the richest in Léon and ostentatious style that This is a typical parish close,
perfectly reflects the opulence with three essential features: an
d Lampaul- that St-Thégonnec (Sant entrance framed by an arch or a
Guimiliau Tegoneg in Breton) enjoyed monumental gateway, a calvary
during the Renaissance, when with figures depicting biblical
Road map B2. 3 km (2 miles) west of it was one of the richest scenes, and an ossuary
Guimiliau. * 2,037. £ Landivisiau. parishes in the Léon. attached to the church.
n Kerven, Landivisiau; (02) 98 68 Although the church
33 33.
was severely damaged by
The parish close at Lampaul fire in 1988, some 16th- and
(Lambaol in Breton) was built 17th-century masterpieces
in stages, starting with the survive. Among them is a
porch in 1533 and ending priest’s chair decorated
with the sacristy in 1679. with medallions and putti,
Masterpieces here are six and with armrests in the
stunning altarpieces and shape of dolphins’ heads. The cemetery, where
an Entombment of Christ by There is also a Rosary members of the small parish
Antoine Chavagnac, a sculptor altarpiece; a shuttered niche community were buried.
to the French Navy in Brest. with the Tree of Jesse; a
pulpit, which was originally
gilded; and an organ built by
f Guimiliau Thomas Dallam.
The ossuary contains a
Road map B2. * 850.
£ Landivisiau. n Kerven, beautiful painted wood
Landivisiau; (02) 98 68 33 33. Emtombment of Christ dating
from 1702. Like the triumphal
The calvary in the parish close porch, the architecture of the
at Guimiliau (Gwimilio in Breton) ossuary is exuberant, with
dates from 1588. Almost 200 bell-turrets, windows and
figures in amusing slender columns.

Calvaries were built for the
elevation of the souls of
believers towards God, but
they also provide an insight
into daily life in the past.
The Entombment of Christ, part of the calvary at Lampaul-Guimiliau
For hotels and restaurants see pp226–7 and pp238–9

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