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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Notre-Dame de Plourin-lès-Morlaix, located in the village of Finistère, replaces an ancient Gothic church of the 15th century, of which only the choir restored in 1673 remains. The present nave, of sober style, dates from the end of the seventeenth century, while the choir, threatened with ruin around 1762, bears witness to the successive transformations of the building. The bell tower, rebuilt in 1728, bears an inscription mentioning the names of Bernard Salaün and Jan Podevin, linked to its manufacture.

The monument is part of a parish enclosure typical of Brittany, with a rectangular plan facing east-west. It consists of a nave of five spans flanked by lower side, ten lateral chapels, and a steeple shifted from the axis of the nave, creating an asymmetry compensated by the depth of the southern chapels. Inside, characterized by a dark nave panelled, has arches in full hanger supported by octagonal pillars decorated with lily flowers.

Ranked a historic monument in 1932, the church benefited from renovations between 1983 and 1993, carried out by the owner municipality. Its furniture includes a ringtone of four bells, one of which, cracked, is now out of service. The massive, square tower is distinguished by its elongated dome, its corner bell towers, and a tower of cylindrical staircase adjacent to its south face.

The building illustrates the architectural evolution of the Breton churches, mixing Gothic heritage and Baroque reconstructions. Its enclosure, its registered bell tower, and its interior elements such as fire or ogival windows reflect local religious and artisanal practices of the 17th and 18th centuries. The presence of side chapels and a flat bedside underscores its central role in the parish life of Plourin-lès-Morlaix.

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