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Origin and history

The chapel Notre-Dame-de-Légevin, located at the place called Légevin on the commune of Nostang (Morbihan), was built in 1570 under the impulse of the Dukes of Brittany to welcome pilgrimages. According to oral tradition, it is nicknamed "the Mother of Notre-Dame de Quelven", with reference to another Breton sanctuary, and was a place of devotion for the healing of fevers during the Pardon of August 15. Its architecture blends flamboyant Gothic (Western Porch) and Renaissance (Southern Porch), with an original bell tower on triple arch, inspired by Landaul's. A notable feature is the presence of a monolithic stele of the iron age planted nearby, highlighting the ancient sacrality of the site.

The chapel underwent major changes in the 18th century: the bell tower, collapsed in 1575 (probably due to a storm), was rebuilt in 1702, followed by the laying of the vault and the rostrum in 1708, then the bell tower in 1728 under the auspices of the Rector Jean Kermarec and the Garec prosecutor. Inside, the wooden baroque altarpiece, organized in three shutters with Corinthian columns, houses remarkable statues, including a Virgin with the Child associated with Notre-Dame de Quelven. The carved sandstones, decorated with geometric motifs and masks, as well as traces of polychromy (yellow and blue pigments), testify to the original decorative richness. Ranked a historic monument in 1925, the chapel also preserves a 16th century stone altar, an 18th century tabernacle, and engraved inscriptions (e.g. "J. Berthelot" on the south door).

Two hypotheses explain the origin of his name: the first evokes "Lés-Guiguin", mentioned in archives of 1423; the second remains undetermined. The chapel was a community gathering place, as evidenced by the outdoor wall benches and the grassed square. In the 19th century, restorations (black paints, altar bleaching) partially altered its medieval appearance. A recent restoration of the altarpiece in 2007 has preserved this Breton heritage, still owned by the municipality of Nostang.

The site is also marked by local legends, such as the one linking its forgiveness to that of Quelven (Guern), both celebrated on August 15. Historical sponsors, such as the Dukes of Brittany or the rectors of the 17th to 18th centuries, shaped his identity, between Marian devotion and hybrid architecture. Today, the chapel illustrates the transition between the Middle Ages and the modern era in interior Brittany, while preserving prehistoric traces with its Gaulish stele.

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