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Origin and history

Keramanac'h Chapel, 4 km west of the village of Plounévez-Moëdec (Côtes-d'Armor), is a rectangular religious building built in the 15th century, although often associated with the 16th century. It belonged to the Order of the Hospitallers of St John of Jerusalem (or Order of Malta) and depended on the command of La Feuillé. Its architecture combines a panelled nave, a north side low, and a south porch decorated with polychrome statues and bas-reliefs, including scenes of the Annunciation and Adoration of the Magi. The bell tower-wall, three-chambers of superimposed bells, and the flamboyant filling bays (trilobed lancets, rosaceans, specks) bear witness to a late Gothic influence.

The chapel houses remarkable elements such as 15th century stained glass windows (representing Saint Tugdual and Saint Fiacre), coats of arms (family of Keramborgne, order of Saint John, Viscounts of Lesmais), and a balustrade engraved "AVGALLO 1663". Ranked a Historic Monument in 1922 with its calvary and enclosure, it underwent several restorations (1708, 1854, 1871, 1987). Originally dedicated to Saint John, it was also called Our Lady of Keramanac. Its furniture, such as a 15th-century Jube and an alabaster altarpiece, was partially dispersed in the 19th and 20th centuries.

The building was surrounded by a closed cemetery and two houses to the north (disappeared in the 18th century). The archives mention his state of disrepair in the eighteenth century, linked to the absence of rents, as well as his role in local life: Sunday Masses, pilgrimages, and the perception of tithes by the Commanders. The weapons of Pierre de Keramborgne (commander in 1449) and Pierre Viault (prosecutor general in 1603) confirm his connection with the Order of Malta. The chapel thus illustrates Breton religious architecture, combining spiritual, seigneurial and community functions.

The work of 1708 (mason Jean Morvan, carpenter Jean Cloarec) concerned the windows, the reliquary and the roof. In 1854, the Rector Rivoal had the structure restored, followed by a complete renovation in 1871. The 15th century oak jube was moved to the parish church in 1873. The stained glass and coat of arms (such as those of the Plougras or Saliou) reveal local alliances and noble protections. The chapel, a communal property, remains a testimony of the wars of Religion (moulin of the destroyed Temple) and of Breton devotion, with its fountain and calvary classified.

The burrows of 1701-1705 describe an enclosure with 21 strings of land, a ruined mill ("of the Temple"), and 14 tenures depending on the commandory of La Feuillé. In the 18th century, the inventory reported a split bell and a "totally deperiated" panel. Pol Potier de Courcy (1864) evokes an oak stand with twelve sculpted Apostles, now gone. The alabaster altarpiece, sold in 1903, represented scenes of Christ's life in 16th century costumes. These elements underline its role both liturgical, seigneurial (dith, jurisdiction) and artistic, reflecting the exchanges between Brittany and military orders.

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