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Origin and history

The chapel Notre-Dame de Coat-an-Poudou, located in the commune of Melgven (Finistère), is built between the 15th and 17th centuries at the place-named Coat-an-Poudou, meaning Bois des Poteries with reference to the tesses discovered during the nearby tillage. Originally dedicated to Saint Cado, it was converted to the cult of Notre-Dame in the 18th century. Its placister houses a granite calvary decorated with the coat of arms of the Perrier family, lords of Coat-Canton in the 15th and 16th centuries, whose coats of arms also appear on other local monuments such as the parish church of Melgven.

The rectangular building consists of a nave with five spans flanked by two sides, separated by granite columns connected by warhead arches. The facades, made of cut stone, feature basket cove doors and flamboyant bays. Inside, only two altars remain, decorated with statues of Saint Cado and the Virgin. The chapel is classified as a historical monument by decree of 5 March 1949, becoming a major architectural and religious testimony of Brittany.

According to tradition, battles of Breton wrestling once took place on his placister, before the wrestlers of Gouesnach, after a victory, took the statue of Saint Cado to organize their tournaments during the pardon of their own chapel. This account illustrates local rivalries and the importance of forgiveness in Breton culture, where chapels served as places of assembly as well as devotion.

Typical of Breton architecture, the chapel combines sobriety and elegance, with an octagonal arrow running around the western bell. Its history reflects the cultural changes (passage from Saint Cado to Notre-Dame) and the links between local nobility (family of Perrier) and religious heritage. Nearby pottery suggests an ancient occupation of the site, although their precise dating remains undetermined.

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