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Origin and history

The church Notre-Dame-de-Confort de Meilars, located in Confort-Meilars (Finistère), was built between 1528 and 1544 under Francis I by Alain III de Rosmadec, Marquis de Pont-Croix, and his wife Jeanne du Chastel. In a flamboyant Gothic style, it became a major pilgrimage place in Brittany, enriched by gifts from the faithful (silver calices, chasubles, etc.) and a papal indulgence bubble in 1688 after a fire. Its 16th century stained glass window, representing the Tree of Jesse, and its Baroque statues (Our Lady of Comfort, St.Herbot) bear witness to its artistic and religious influence.

Sold as national property in 1795, the chapel became a place of worship after the Revolution. It was classified as a historical monument in 1914, with its adjacent 16th century calvary, whose statues of the apostles, beheaded during the Terror, were restored in 1870 by the sculptor Yann Larcshantec. The building houses a unique carillon wheel, renowned for its miraculous virtues (healing of mute children), operated by pilgrims as an offering. Its bell tower, remodeled in the 18th century, and its pediments carved of grimacing cariatides illustrate the evolution of its architecture.

The church became parish in 1910, replacing the old church of Meilars in ruins. A victim of a flight in 1932, however, she retained exceptional furniture: carved sandstones, high altar, and partial stained glass windows of R. de Loubes. The neighbouring calvary, classified with the church, presents a cross redone in 1978 after a crushing. Today, the site remains a major testimony of Breton religious heritage, mixing popular devotion, late Gothic art and local baroque.

The carillon wheel, described by Gustave Geffroy in 1905 as one of the last in France, symbolizes the persistence of the Armenian rites. The pilgrims, having lit a candle in front of the miraculous statue of Notre-Dame, turned the wheel in exchange for a alms, believing in its power to restore the word. This ritual, linked to pre-Christian traditions, emphasizes the deep anchoring of the church in local beliefs.

The chapel's income, estimated at 1,000 pounds annually under the Old Regime, made it the 6th most lucrative pilgrimage of the bishopric of Cornwall. This prosperity is explained by the influx of faithful after the preaching of Michel Le Nobletz (rector of Meilars circa 1617) and the posthumous apparitions reported by Father Maunoir in 1652. The inventory of 1620 reveals a sumptuous liturgical furniture, reflecting the generosity of donors, like the Gouletquer mansion offered in 1623 by a couple of Poullan.

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