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Origin and history

The church of Saint Gouesnou, located in Gouesnou in Finistère, was built in the 17th century on the site of an old monastery founded by Saint Goueznou. Its construction began in 1552 under the impulse of Guillaume Touronce, canon of Vannes and rector of Gouesnou. The building, initially too small, was enlarged in the 17th century to adopt a Latin cross, with a four-span nave, a transept and a five-sided bedside in the Beaumanoir style. The bell tower, dating from the 16th century, preserves the remains of the 15th century, while the porch bears the date of 1642 and the swords of the choir that of 1615. The 22 stained glass windows, by Jacques Le Chevallier, adorn the interior, where beams and sandstones are finely carved.

The history of the church is marked by dramatic events: in 1718, lightning destroyed the top of its arrow, then a storm in 1894 or 1896 damage again. Ranked historic monument in 1914 with its triumphal arch and fountain, it suffered a fire in August 1944 during the Battle of Brest, caused by the Germans, which ravaged much of the building. The restorations, begun in 1947, ended in 1970 with the laying of the current stained glass windows, giving back to the church its brilliance over the years.

Architecturally, the church is distinguished by its two-storey bell tower of corbelled galleries, topped by a slender arrow, and its polygonal apse. The monument, owned by the commune, embodies both the Breton religious heritage and the historical vicissitudes of the region, from the wars of Religion to the conflicts of the twentieth century. Its ranking and successive restorations demonstrate its cultural and spiritual importance to Gouesnou and its inhabitants.

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