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Origin and history

The Notre-Dame de Lambader chapel, located in the eponymous hamlet of Plouvorn (Finistère), was built between 1432 and 1440 under the name of the Virgin Mary. His name would come from a deformation of Saint Patern, bishop of Vannes in the fifth century. The site was originally a Templar Commandery, before becoming a priory of the order of St John of Jerusalem. This hospital and military past explains its local importance, although direct medieval sources are lacking to clarify its exact role before the 15th century.

Ranked as a Historical Monument in 1840 among the five religious buildings in Finistère considered a priority for restoration, the chapel was at risk. Its 58-metre bell tower, emblematic of Léonard architecture, is part of a regional rivalry to erect the highest bell towers. Lambader's house, originally supported by adjacent buildings (a triumphal arch and the Governor's house), was severely damaged by a storm in 1836. The arrow and the upper part had to be dismantled between 1837 and 1841, before a complete reconstruction of the bell tower from 1881 by the entrepreneur Jean-Louis Le Naour.

The present building, rebuilt between 1875 and 1881 on the original planes, preserves flamboyant Gothic elements, such as its early 16th century oak skirt, decorated with pre-Renaissance motifs (vases, rinseaux). This jube, comparable to that of the chapel of Kerfons (Ploubezre), was restored in 1877 by sculptor Denis Derrian, who added statues. The chapel, a Marian pilgrimage site, still attracted 25,000 faithful during Pentecost's pardon in 1916, testifying to its spiritual and cultural anchoring in Lower Britain.

Architecturally, Lambader is distinguished by its basilica without transept, octagonal pillars, and its bahut wall supporting a broken crib panel. The master-glass of the bedside, the only direct light source for the nave, creates an atmosphere of a church with a dark nave, typical of some Breton buildings. The stained glass windows and statuary, although restored, reflect this duality between medieval heritage and 19th century interventions.

The site also includes a devotional fountain adorned with a Pietà, located below the bedside, and a calvary in the wooded placister. These elements, associated with the chapel, form a coherent set of Marian devotion, still alive today. The successive restorations, although controversial for their magnitude, saved a major monument of the Finnish religious heritage.

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