Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Saint-Fiacre Chapel, located in Le Faouët in Morbihan, is a Catholic religious building classified as a historical monument since 1889. It is renowned for its flamboyant polychrome wooden jube, made between 1480 and 1492 by Olivier Le Loergan, as well as for its 15th and 16th century stained glass windows. The chapel is dedicated to Saint Fiacre, a seventh-century Irish herbalist established near Meaux, whose cult was introduced in Brittany by the Boutteville family, originally from Normandy and at the service of the Dukes of Brittany since the 13th century.

An engraved stone re-used in a nearby house attests to the construction of a "hospital" (hospital for pilgrims) in 1436 by a member of the Boutteville family, suggesting the previous existence of a chapel or a place of pilgrimage. The construction of the current building is located around the middle of the 15th century, with a probable end date around 1480, marked by an inscription on the jube. According to tradition, the chapel was built simultaneously with Notre-Dame de Kernascleden, 15 km away, with a legend telling that angels carried the tools of the workers from one yard to another during their breaks.

The architecture of the chapel, in the shape of a Latin cross, includes a single low side nave, a three-span transept, and a choir without a low side. Its bell tower-wall, inspired by Notre-Dame de Kerinec and Kernascleden, is flanked by two turrets connected by footbridges. The western facade, described by historians as "characteristic", has a balanced dissymmetric composition, with a column-framed portal topped by a trilobed redent lampequin. The south porch, similar to that of Kernascleden, houses a geminated portal under a full tympanum, while the flat bedside bears the ducal arms of Brittany, highlighting the patronage of the Dukes.

The Jube, classified in 1846, illustrates biblical scenes (attempt of Adam and Eve, Passion of Christ) and capital sins (intoxication, lust, laziness). The stained glass windows, dating back to the 15th and 16th centuries, as well as the round-bosse sculptures of the Ducal workshop of Folgoët, complete remarkable furniture. The chapel underwent controversial restorations in the 19th century, notably between 1862 and 1866, where pastiches replaced missing panels of the jube. A restoration in 1951 removed these additions to regain the spirit of the original polychromy.

The chapel is owned by the municipality of Faouët and welcomes annually a pardon on the last Sunday of August. Its history is marked by local legends, such as that of the angel transporters of tools, and its link with the noble Breton families, notably the Bouttevilles and the Dukes of Brittany, whose arms adorn the bedside. The building, despite its recurrent humidity, remains a major example of flamboyant Gothic architecture in Brittany, combining stylistic innovation and religious symbolism.

The exact origins of the chapel remain partially obscure, but its role in the religious and social life of the Faouët has been attested since the 15th century. Associated with a pilgrim hospital, it reflects the importance of places of worship and reception in medieval Brittany, where rural chapels served as gathering points for local communities and travellers. The presence of two seigneurial oratories superimposed north of the choir also underscores its status as a monument linked to the Breton aristocracy.

External links