Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Saint-Guénaël Church, dedicated to Saint Gwenaël, is the parish church of Ergue-Gabéric, located in Finistère in Brittany. Built mainly in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, it replaces an ancient 13th century sanctuary. Its architecture includes a nave with low side, side chapels, and a choir adorned with a glass mistress of 1516 representing the Passion, restored in 1728. The building also houses two 17th-century altarpieces, statues of saints, and an organ of Thomas Dallam (circa 1680), restored in 1845.

The church is surrounded by a parish enclosure typical of Brittany, including a 17th century ossuary. The latter, restored in 1967, is distinguished by its seven bays in full hanger and a door. The church's south gate and bedside feature third-point bays decorated with lily-shaped motifs. The whole (church, cemetery and ossuary) was classified as a historical monument by order of 23 October 1939.

Among the remarkable elements are a stained glass window representing St Francis of Assisi with the donor François Liziart, lord of Kergonan, and his wife presented by St Marguerite. The coat of arms of local families, such as those of Jean Autret, Marie de Coatenezre, or Jean de Coatenezre, also adorn the stained glass windows. The Dallam organ, decorated with paintings by angel musicians, and the arches of the nave bear witness to the rich artistic and religious heritage of the building.

The church of Saint-Guénaël illustrates Breton religious architecture from the 16th and 17th centuries, mixing medieval heritage (thirteenth century ruins) and Baroque additions (retables, organ). Its parish enclosure, characteristic of the region, reflects the funeral and community practices of the time, where the ossuary was used to preserve bones after exhumation, thus freeing space in the cemetery.

External links