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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Sainte-Catherine chapel of Lizio, located in Morbihan in Brittany, finds its origins in a Templar foundation around 1200. The Templars, located near an ancient Roman way, established a priory to welcome the pilgrims of Santiago de Compostela. The chapel, dedicated to St. Catherine of Alexandria, was destroyed during the Hundred Years War, then abandoned before being rebuilt in 1616 by Charles Laurencin, hospital priest of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, according to a plan inspired by the Templar buildings.

The current building, with a single-nave rectangular plan and flat bedside, preserves medieval elements such as a arch diaphragm in warhead, vestige of the Romanesque period. The adjacent fountain, dated 1661, and the calvary of 1708 complete a set marked by mysterious symbols: engraved slabs, enigmatic figures (like the three '7' inverted under the altar), and alchemical or geometric references. The ensemble, classified as Historical Monument in 1935, also reflects jacquarian influences, with a Saint-Jacques shell carved above the door.

The site, crossed by seven veins of groundwater and three telluric currents (uranium, selenium, silver), was considered a sacred place, mixing Christian devotion and popular beliefs. The chapel houses statues of saints (Saint Catherine, Saint-Fiacre, Saint John the Baptist) and an allegorical altarpiece with four elements. The restorations, like those of the glass windows in 1986, preserved this unique heritage, where every detail — from the steps of the enclosures to the Hebrew inscriptions — invites a symbolic reading.

The history of the chapel is also related to the Hospitallers, heirs of the Templars after 1312. Charles Laurencin, Commander of Carentoir (1652–75), played a key role in his reconstruction, while local artisans such as Joseph Legal and Mathurin Fablet (lambris of 1771) contributed to his beautification. The graffiti dates (1616, 1824, 1861) and geometric motifs (light triangle, slab marelle) bear witness to a scholarly tradition, perhaps linked to temporal or alchemical knowledge.

Today, the chapel and its fountain, properties of the municipality of Lizio, form a remarkable architectural and spiritual ensemble. Their layout—enclosures, centenary yews, gallery with columns (square, octagonal, circular)—and their decoration (chrism, IHS, coded numbers) make it a historic and enigmatic place, attracting pilgrims and searchers of symbols.

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