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Origin and history

The chapel of Saint Maudé, located at the so-called "Saint Maudé" in La Croix-Hellean (Morbihan), was built in the 15th century. According to tradition, it marks the place where three Breton knights who died during the Battle of the Trent (1351), were buried by order of John IV of Beaumanoir. In 1431, a parishioner of Guillac, Eonnet Lucas, built the chapel with the support of Duke John V of Brittany, Alain IX of Rohan and the Quélen family of Broutay, dedicated to Saint Maudé (Irish abbot of the 6th century) and Saint Sebastian. The building, flamboyant Gothic style, presents a portal with geminied bays, a radiant rose, and sandstones carved with the arms of Rohan, Brittany and France.

The interior houses remarkable furniture, including polychrome wooden statues and a 17th century pulpit. Contemporary stained glass (1997) is the work of Olivier Debré. The choir, adorned with two swimming pools, and the roofing panel (dated 1756) testify to the later additions. A fountain of devotion (1803) and a sacristy (1777) complete the whole. The chapel, a communal property, was restored in 1993 after its inscription in the Historical Monuments in 1925.

The architecture mixes medieval elements (medial hatch, flamboyant window) with traces of later work, such as task marks on the foothills. The engraved dates (1431, 1441) are considered incorrect, the construction was probably completed at the end of the 15th century. The site remains linked to the memory of the Breton knights and to local devotion, illustrating the role of Rohan's lords in Breton religious heritage.

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