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Origin and history

The Madeleine Chapel, located in Penmarch in Bigouden Country (Finistry), was built between the twelfth and sixteenth centuries on the site of an ancient leprosy. Originally placed under the name of Saint Stephen, it was enlarged in the 16th century and dedicated to Saint Mary Magdalene, patron saint of lepers. A wall inscription in the western part, dating from 1416, marks the early chapel. The Gothic columns of the eastern part, added in the 16th century, have arches in the middle of the wall without capitals. The bell tower, moved to the west gable, dominates a building marked by its history linked to the maladries and cordiers, presumed descendants of lepers.

The chapel houses symbolic elements of its past, such as a statue of Saint Lazarus and holes in the central arch suggesting a grid separating the lepers from the priest. Close to the chapel, the fountain Saint-Pustoch, known to cure skin diseases, and another fountain dedicated to rinsing strands of ropes testify to the activities of the cordiers. The latter, called caquins, lived on the margins in reserved hamlets, such as the place called Valordi ("malderry" in Breton), near the Pointe de la Torche.

Sold as a national property during the French Revolution to the Durand family, the chapel was attached to Penmarch in 1802 and returned to worship in 1812. Classified as a Historic Monument in 1956, it was restored in the 20th century with non-figurative stained glass windows by Jean Bazaine, inaugurated in 1981. These stained glass windows, in symbolic colours (gold for Christ, purple for Mary Magdalene), inspire the life of the saint, strengthening the link between the building and its medieval history.

Architecturally, the chapel combines a 15th-century nave, without sideways, and a 16th-century apse. Its up-to-date bell tower, accessible by outside stairs, overlooks the west gable. Inside, a Pietà from the end of the 15th century and capitals adorned with geometric and vegetal motifs complete this religious and historical heritage, a reflection of the Bugudian traditions and local devotion.

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