Page 277 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - France

right. Its church demands headland that juts out into 17
most attention, with a zeal­ the Atlantic at the tip of Cap
ously decorated interior, Sizun. The views of jagged St-Thégonnec
including some scenes from rocks and pounding seas are ! A3 ⌂ Saint-Thégonnec
the Passion on the rood­beam breath taking. Further west is Loc-Eguiner £ n 13 place
dividing the nave and choir. the flat Île de Sein and the de la Mairie; www.
Ar Men light house. baiedemorlaix.bzh
Despite being only 1.5 m (5 ft)
r above sea level, Île de Sein is This is one of Brittany’s most
complete parish closes. As you
nevertheless home to 260
Guimiliau people, and can be reached by pass through its triumphal
boat from Audierne in an hour. arch way, the ossuary is to the
! A3 ⌂ Finistére n 53 rue left. The calvary illustrates
du Calvaire; www.roscoff-
tourisme.com the skills of Breton sculptors
16 work ing with the local granite.
Almost 200 figures adorn the Among the many animated
intensely decorated calvary Île de Bréhat figures that surround the
(1581–8) here. One figure is ! B3 ⌂ Côtes d’Armor cross, a small niche contains a
that of a servant girl tortured £ @ Pointe de l’Arc ouest 4 statue of St Thégonnec with
by demons for steal ing a con­ n Le Bourg; www.brehat- a cart pulled by wolves.
se crated wafer for her beau. infos.fr
The church is dedicated to
St Miliau and has a richly A 15­minute crossing from the PARISH CLOSES
decorated south porch. The mainland, the Île de Bréhat is Reflecting the religious
baptistry’s elaborate carved actually two islands, joined by fervour of the Bretons,
oak canopy dates from 1675. a bridge, which together are the Enclos Paroissiaux
only 3.5 km (2 miles) in length. (parish closes) were
With a ban on all motorized built during the
15 traffic, and a climate so mild 15th–18th centuries,
that mimosa and a variety of
Pointe du Raz fruit trees flourish, it has a when Brittany had few
urban centres but
wonderfully laidback vibe that many rich rural
! A3 ⌂ Finistère invites visitors to slow to the
k Quimper £ Quimper, settlements that
then bus n Maison de la more civilized pace of its inhab­ profited from maritime
Pointe du Raz; www. i tants. Bicycle hire and various trade and the manufac­
pointeduraz.com boat tours are available in the turing of cloth. Grand
main town, Port­Clos, and religious monuments,
The dramatic Pointe there’s a very rewarding walk with cartoonish biblical
du Raz, almost 80 m to the island’s highest point, figures carved in stone
(262 ft) high, is a the Chapelle St­Michel. (below) created to
inspire and instruct
visitors, were built by
small villages such as
St­Thégonnec. Some of
the finest lie in the
Elorn Valley, linked by
the signed Circuit des
Enclos Paroissiaux.

The south porch, calvary
and sacristy of the church
of St Miliau in Guimiliau
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