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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The chapel of Saint-They, located between the bay of the Trépassés and the point of the Van, overlooks the raz de Sein since the seventeenth century. Built on the site of an older chapel in ruins, it is dedicated to Saint They, a Breton saint of the fourth century, disciple of Saint Guénolé at the abbey of Landevennec. Its granite honeycomb architecture, covered with a lime coating, includes a nave and two sides, with a blue panel and a paved floor. Ranked a historic monument in 1914, it embodies an iconic religious and maritime heritage of Cape Sizun.

The chapel houses a carved wooden master altar, native to the parish church, and a bell tower having supported several bells, including one exchanged with the chapel of Langroas. A local legend says his bell would ring alone to warn sailors of the dangers. Nearby, a monumental cross of 1772, truncated, exhibits statues of Saint James and a veiled Virgin. Two fountains of devotion (Saint-They and Saint-Mathieu) and two crosses (including the one of Trouguer) complete this sacred ensemble, marked by historical pardons combining the processions of Île-de-Sein and Cléden.

The chapel suffered damage in 2013, when lightning destroyed three of its bell towers, quickly secured by the commune. Since 1997, a continuous restoration (roof, coated, stained glass, Christ in alabaster) has been carried out by the municipality and the association Sant They Ar Van. Once a place of four annual pardons, only the great forgiveness of the first Sunday of July persists, attracting faithful and visitors for a night of vigil around the chapel. Its spectacular site, between cliffs and sea, makes it a symbol of the resistance of the Breton heritage to the elements.

The history of the chapel is also military: in 1818 it served as a guard for the battery of Saint-They, before being returned to the commune in a delabrated state (without cover or door). The archives mention major works in the 17th and 18th centuries, such as the reconstruction of the gables (1612 and 1674), the bell tower (1674), and the addition of foothills (1685). Today, its enclosure, walls and cross of 1772 bear witness to this rich history, between maritime devotion and architectural heritage.

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