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Origin and history

Notre-Dame de Bréhat Church, also known as Notre-Dame-de-Bonne-Nouvelle Church, is the Catholic parish building on Bréhat Island. Built in 1651 as indicated by an inscription on a pillar of the nave, it replaces an older building probably dating back to the 12th century. Originally dedicated to Saint Samson, it is today an active place of worship, joined to the presbytery and the former town hall for reasons of stability, the island's soil being considered unstable.

Access to the church is via a south porch through an 18th-century gravestone cemetery, belonging to the family of the corsaire Fleury. These funerary slabs, decorated with death heads and crossed tibias, bear witness to local maritime history. The bell tower-wall, built in two phases (1658 for the base and 1770 for the summit), dominates the whole. Inside, the 16th century pulpit to preach, supported by a male cariatide, and the choir of the second half of the 17th century, work by Olivier Martinet, illustrate the artistic richness of the building.

The furniture includes an 18th-century English lutrin, two side altarpieces including the Rosary, as well as a closing of the 17th-century baptismal fonts and 18th-century confessionals. The stained glass windows represent the Four Evangelists and the baptism of Christ. Several of these elements, including the altarpiece and pulpit, are classified as historical monuments, highlighting the heritage value of this island church.

The building embodies the religious and social history of Bréhat, mixing maritime influences (stones tombs of corsairs) and artistic (baroque retables). Its modest but elaborate architecture reflects the necessary adaptations to an island environment, while preserving traces of its medieval and classical past.

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