Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Trinity Chapel, located at the so-called "The Trinity" in Quéven (Morbihan), was built in the early 16th century in a flamboyant style. She initially had a three-span nave with a low side, a slightly salient transept and a flat bedside choir. The bell tower, dated 1771, ran a stone tower. The interior elements, such as the glazed frame with carved sandstones and crocodile heads, showed a neat craftsmanship. The choir and transepts were restored in 1898, partially preserving the original structure.

The chapel was completely destroyed during the Allied bombings between August 7 and 18, 1944, as part of operations targeting Lorient's pocket during the Second World War. Fortunately, some of the furniture had been evacuated as early as 1942 thanks to the intervention of Pierre Thomas-Lacroix, curator of antiques, and René Guillaume, architect of historical monuments. The statues, transported to Maine-et-Loire, were found and restored before being resettled in the parish church of Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul de Quéven or in other local chapels around 2000.

The reconstruction of the chapel took place between 1960 and 1962, under the direction of the vannois architect Caubert de Cléry-Kervigant. The new building incorporated some vestiges of the old structure, such as a 16th-century bentier, a monumental cross of 1657 (with a cross redone in the 19th century), and carved elements of 1771 sealed in the columns of the facade. A fountain of devotion and a 19th century washhouse, located to the north, now complete the whole. The nave, transept and choir, originally listed as historical monuments in 1933, were repealed in 2014.

Among the remarkable elements saved are the 1657 cut stone base cross, and fragments of the original frame, such as carved entrances. The reconstructed chapel, although modern, perpetuates the memory of the original monument through these jobs and its implantation on the same site. It remains a testament to the destruction of the war and the efforts to preserve the Breton heritage.

External links