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Origin and history

The expiatory chapel of Champ-des-Martyrs, located in Brech in Morbihan, was built in 1829 under the direction of architect Auguste Caristie. It commemorates the 206 royalists shot in 1795 by the Republican troops of General Hoche during Quiberon's Affair, a landmark episode of the Vendée wars. The bodies, barely buried in the Kerzo marshes, motivated the building of this place of memory, where some of the bones were transferred to the Chartreuse d'Auray.

The building, of neo-classical style, is part of a landscaped complex classified as Historic Monument since 1983. He has two Latin inscriptions: "Hic Ceciderunt" (Here they fell) above the door, and "In Memoria Eterna Erunt Justi" (In eternal memory they will be righteous) on the pediment. Inside, a marble altar and a neo-classical altarpiece honour the victims, while the exterior layout, with its lawns and bedded benches, reinforces its solemn character.

This monument is part of a broader historical context: that of the failed landing of 5,400 royalist emigrants in June 1795, supported by England, to restore the monarchy. Their defeat against the Republican army of General Hoche sealed the fate of 748 shootings, 206 of them in Brech. The chapel, financed by subscription in 1823, symbolizes both reconciliation and the memory of revolutionary conflicts. In 2015, Prince Louis de Bourbon announced his support for the restoration of the site, highlighting its heritage and memorial importance.

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