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Origin and history

The chapel Notre-Dame de Kergoat, located in the hamlet of Kergoat in Quéménéven (Finistère), was built around 1560 on land belonging to Julien du Cleuz, Marquis du Gage. Its architecture juxtaposes interior flamboyant Gothic arcades, of exceptional height, and an exterior facade marked by rounded pediments and monumental foothills. The chapel, a place of pilgrimage known for the healing of the haemorrhages, derived its income from the offerings of the faithful and local fairs. It housed two confraternities: "Jesus agonizing" (attested in 1695) and "The Rosary and the Scapular" (founded in 1828).

In 1740, the bell tower arrow, destroyed by lightning, was replaced by a dome and a lantern between 1742 and 1764, under the direction of architect Guillaume Salaun. Partly financed by a loan from the Ménez-Hom factory, this work marked a major transformation. The chapel, sold as a national property in 1796, was purchased in 1804 and reopened to worship. His organ was repaired in 1852. The site preserves a mutilated 16th-century calvary, inscribed in historic monuments in 1926, as well as a cemetery surrounded by ancient oak trees, partially slaughtered in 1930 despite protests.

Our Lady of Kergoat was invoked against the diseases of blood, because of a puncture between Ker Goad ("the village of the wood") and gwad ("blood" in Breton). The great Pardon, celebrated each year on the Sunday following August 15, attracted pilgrims from all over Cornwall, while a "Petit Pardon" took place in the 19th century. The chapel housed remarkable medieval stained glass windows, depicting biblical scenes, as well as two paintings by painter François Valentin (1772–74), now missing or damaged by moisture. Statues, such as those of Saint Marguerite or Saint Francis, and tombs of noble families (Poulpiquet de Brescanvel, La Roque Tremaria) are still visible.

The painter Jules Breton witnessed the forgiveness of 1890, immortalizing the procession in a work. A fountain dedicated to Notre Dame, near the Locronan mountain, is associated with the Great Tromenia, a pilgrimage taking place every six years. In 1920, the monument to the dead of Quémeneven was erected on the chapel square, highlighting its anchoring in local memory. Ranked a historic monument in 1935, the chapel remains a major testimony of Breton religious heritage, mixing art, history and popular traditions.

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