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Origin and history

The chapel of Saint Cado, located on the eponymous island in the river d'Étel in Belz (Morbihan), has its origins in the sixth century, attributed by tradition to Saint Cado, a Welsh monk. After the Norman invasions, the monastery was restored in the 11th century, as evidenced by the endowment charters (1009, 1058–1084). In 1089, the Duke Alain Fergent attached the establishment to the Abbey of Sainte-Croix de Quimperlé, which retained its profits until the Revolution. The current Romanesque building dates mainly from the 12th century, with a three-span nave, a semi-circular apse, and capitals carved with plant and geometric motifs.

In the 16th century, the west facade was redesigned with the addition of a door in basket handle and a carved brace. The archives reveal that, from the 17th century onwards, no monk occupied the place: a priest residing in the Holy House now organizes the pilgrimage. During the Revolution, the chapel was sold as a national property to Vincent Lorho, who restored it intact to the parish. In the 19th century, enlargements were carried out (sacristy to the northeast, chapel south in 1842), and a stone bell was erected.

The 1959–60 restorations brought to light the remains of the Roman bellet, including columns with prismatic capitals. The chapel houses remarkable furniture: a 17th-century pietà, a wooden stand of the 15th to 16th centuries, and the Bed of Saint Cado, a stone altar linked to rituals of healing deafness. Ranked a historic monument in 1925, it perpetuates an annual pardon on the 3rd Sunday of September, marked by the offering of white chickens, a tradition still alive today.

The architecture reveals medieval transformations, such as the modification of the frame for a two-paned roof, probably removing high windows. The current stained glass windows, created in 1960 by Hubert de Sainte-Marie, replaced old bays. The site, linked to the legend of Saint Cado and the local maritime history (ex-voto of three masts), illustrates the religious and cultural heritage of Breton.

The chapel also preserves written traces, such as the epitaph of Marguerite Templier (1735), widow of Jean Rohu, pioneer of the sardine presses of Saint Cado, buried there in 1707. These elements underline its role both spiritual, economic (pilgrimage, port activities) and memorial for the community of Belz.

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