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Origin and history

The church of Notre-Dame-de-Pitié du Croisic, built between 1494 and 1528, embodies the economic development of this Breton port city during the Renaissance. Its construction in local granite, financed by the maritime bourgeoisie, began on 4 December 1494 with the laying of the first stone by Jacques Penfaut, beaver. The building, originally planned at three naves, was modified in the course of construction to accommodate a fourth vessel on the south side, reflecting population growth. Consecrated for the first time in 1501 by pontifical bubble, then in 1507 by the bishop of Dol, it was blessed in 1525 as the work was completed.

The church's flamboyant Gothic style is distinguished by its sixteen ogival bays, its tuffle vaults with hanging keys, and its almost square asymmetry unusual for the time. The tower, which began in 1526 as a frame, was rebuilt in stone between 1683 and 1700 after degradation, inspired by the Batz-sur-Mer model. During the Revolution, the building turned into a republican temple, artillery store and stable, before being restored in the 19th century by Abbé Bigaré and architect Henri Gilée, who preserved its medieval elements while modernizing the stained glass windows and roofs.

Ranked a historic monument in 1906, the church preserves artistic treasures such as its stained glass windows from the Lorin workshops (1900-1901), its 17th-XVIII century statues (Saint Jacques, Notre-Dame des Vents), and its 16th-century painted vaults representing the Trinity. The stained glass of Saint Christophe recalls the ancient crossing of the Traict du Croisic at low tide, while the ex-voto maritimes (vesels of the 19th century) testify to the piety of the fishermen. The collapse of the choir window in 1963 led to a major restoration, including a new altar and a candlestick installed in 1980 for the 500th anniversary.

The exterior architecture reveals Breton influences, with its north porch adorned with a tufted Pietà and its massive granite foothills. The northern portal, completed in 1528 by the master of construction Olivier Robin, takes over the model of Notre-Dame-du-Mûrier in Batz, with its doors geminied in basket handle. The successive changes, such as the addition of the southern collateral or the replacement of the wooden arrow with a stone lantern, illustrate the evolution of liturgical needs and constructive techniques between the 16th and 18th centuries.

The liturgical furniture reflects the turbulent history of the building: the altar of the Rosary (1788), coming from the Capuchin chapel, next to medieval funeral slabs from the old southern cemetery. The paintings, such as The Soothed Storm or The Red Sea Passage, dated from the 18th to the 19th centuries, complete a setting where maritime devotion and sacred art are combined. The restoration campaigns of the 20th century, carried out by the Historic Monuments, have preserved this heritage, while adapting the church to contemporary cultural practices, as evidenced by the dedication of the high altar in 1898 by Bishop Legal, the Canadian bishop.

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