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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Saint-Pierre de Plounévez-Moëdec, located in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany, is an emblematic 16th-century religious building. It embodies Breton architectural style, characterized by granite walls, gable-topped bays, imposing slate roofs and wooden vaults. Its Latin cross plan includes a square bedside nave, flanked by low side and two chapels forming a false transept. A notable feature is the leper hole, preserved on the door, vestige of medieval practices of isolation of the sick.

The church has undergone several construction and expansion campaigns. Probably erected around 1520, it was extended between 1655 and 1687 with the addition of two spans and two side chapels. The entrances of the panel, dated 1709, bear an inscription attributed to Hyacinthe Le Junne and Louis Le Calves. Over the centuries, the building has benefited from major restorations, notably in 1807 (tour), 1848 (clocher and north wall), and 1900-1901 (reconstruction of the bell tower destroyed by lightning), under the direction of architect Ernest Le Guerrannic.

Ranked a historic monument by decree of 12 May 1932, the church houses a remarkable artistic heritage, including retables, statues (like that of Notre-Dame du Rosaire carved in 1665 by Guillaume Bahic), and glass windows restored several times between the 17th and 19th centuries. Local painters such as Thomas Le Clerec (1658) and Louis Berthou contributed to his beautification. The parish enclosure, once surrounded by a cemetery that is now extinct, preserves a western gate and stairs decorated with a cross.

The bell tower, a key element of the building, is distinguished by its three-chamber structure of superimposed bells, crowned with an openworked octagonal arrow. It is docked with a circular staircase turret and decorated with flowered pinnacles. The west porch, in broken arch, is framed with pinnacles and surmounted by today's virgin shields. Inside, the roofing panel, painted in blue in 1912, and the granite slabs of the ground show successive restorations, including that of 1956 for the roof.

The church also played a memorial role with the installation of a monument to the dead in 1920, bearing 175 names. Its history reflects the architectural, artistic and social evolutions of Brittany, from its construction in the Renaissance to its electrification in 1954. The works of the twentieth century, such as the reconstruction of the sacristy in 1902, preserved its integrity while adapting to modern needs.

Finally, the building is inseparable from its local environment, marked by Breton artisans and artists who left their mark on it. The 19th century restorations, carried out by entrepreneurs such as Louis Alexandre or the architect Augier, illustrate the community's attachment to this heritage. Today, St Peter's Church remains a symbol of the religious and cultural identity of Plounévez-Moëdec.

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