Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Saint-Sébastien chapel, located at the so-called "Saint-Sébastien" on the town of Faouët (Morbihan), was built from 1598, as evidenced by an inscription engraved on the north wall. Its construction coincides with the end of the plague epidemic of 1598, suggesting a collective ex-voto to thank Saint Sebastian, protector against the disease. Canon Jean Moreau evokes this epidemic in his Mémoires des guerres de la Ligue en Bretagne, thus linking the history of the chapel to a marked health and religious context.

The construction was supported by Jean Pouliquin, governor and rector, as well as the seigneur of Coatquenven, whose mansion was near. The arms of the Le Provost family (coatquenven teachers) once decorated the stained glass windows and facade, but only partially survived. In 1608, the artisan Gabriel Brenier completed the carved sandstones, decorated with secular and religious scenes, including an evil saraband and the martyrdom of Saint Sebastian. These bas-reliefs offer a precious testimony to the aristocratic costumes of the early seventeenth century.

In 1682 Nicolas-François du Fresnay, Baron du Faouët, claimed pre-eminence rights on the chapel, where his weapons were in a dominant position in the stained glass windows. Ranked a historic monument in 1934, the chapel is distinguished by its multi-gable bedside, inspired by the Beaumanoir style, and its crib panelled frame. Its furniture includes a beam of glory and a altarpiece, but it is mainly the decoration of the sandstones, mixing religious symbols and popular scenes, which makes it a unique building.

Architecturally, the chapel adopts a Latin cross plan, with angular foothills surmounted by pinnacles and gargoyles. The bedside, typical of Breton flamboyant Gothic, and ground doors reflect a stylistic transition between the Middle Ages and Renaissance. The sandstones, carved between 1600 and 1608, illustrate various themes: a pin attacked by hens, a wild boar hunt, or Saint Martin baptizing a catechumene, revealing a moral and satirical iconography.

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