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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Church of Saint-Eflam, located at Plestin-les-Grèves in the Côtes-d'Armor, is a Catholic religious building dedicated to Saint Eflam, a venerated figure in the Breton Trégor. It preserves a tomb attributed to the saint, dated the 15th or 16th centuries, replacing a precedent built in 994 when the relics were translated. The church, built on the site of a 15th-century chapel, underwent renovations until the 20th century, mixing ogival and Renaissance styles.

On 26 June 1819, supposed relics of Saint Efflam were discovered under a flat stone in the church, in the presence of ecclesiastical and civil figures, including Abbé Tresvaux, parish priest F. Nayrod and Mayor François Moriou. The bones, described in a report (clavicle, vertebrae, phalanges, etc.), were authenticated as those of the saint. This discovery strengthened local worship and the reputation of the building, which was classified as a historic monument in 1908.

The architecture of the church is distinguished by its southern porch, richly carved at the end of the ogival period, representing the twelve apostles and Saint Yves. The tomb of Saint Efflam, a work of the 15th to 16th centuries, and the bell tower with medieval character (marks of taskrons) bear witness to its evolution. The building, which has been expanded several times, has five naves and a porch dated 1576, illustrating its historical and religious importance.

A communal property, the church remains a place of pilgrimage and memory, linked to the legend of Saint Efflam, a Breton hermit of the sixth century. Its classification in 1908 and its protected elements (porch, tomb, bell tower) underline its heritage value, between medieval heritage and subsequent transformations. The sources also mention signs of taskmen on the bell tower, traces of the craftsmen who worked on its construction.

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