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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Nicolas de Saint-Nicolas-du-Pélem, located on Rue Henri-Aurel in the Côtes-d'Armor, finds its origins in the 16th century as a private chapel of the Château du Pélem. Built between 1474 and 1575, it was dedicated to Saint Nicholas before being assigned to the parish between 1847 and 1860 by Count Loz de Beaucours, when the town replaced Bothoa as a parish centre. The building, then renamed St Peter's Church (in reference to the old parish of Bothoa), was enlarged in 1860 with a sacristy and a baptismal chapel. Its architecture combines a grey granite cut stone, a glazed vault and a slate roof, while a medieval jube, transformed into a stand, was destroyed in 1861.

The bedside preserves a twin window decorated with 16th century stained glass windows, including The Derision of Christ (circa 1470–80), sharing a drawing identical to a fresco of the Church of Our Lady of Kernascleden. This window shows the artistic importance of the original chapel, linked to the local aristocracy. The church, a communal property since its inscription in historical monuments on 20 January 1926, embodies both the seigneurial heritage of Pelem and the religious evolution of rural Brittany, between the late Middle Ages and the 19th century.

The building is part of a historical context marked by the transition between private chapels and parish churches, reflecting the territorial and social recompositions of Brittany. Its classification in 1926 underscores its heritage value, particularly for its Gothic elements (glasses, structure) and its role in local memory. Today located in the heart of the village, it remains a symbol of the religious and architectural anchor of Saint-Nicolas-du-Pélem, between medieval heritage and modern transformations.

The exact location of the church, although documented (rue Henri-Aurel or Henri Avril according to the sources), reveals minor geographical uncertainties, with an estimated map accuracy to passable (note 5/10). These variations reflect the urban evolutions and the adaptations of cadastral references over the centuries, without altering the recognition of the monument as the historical and cultural hub of the municipality.

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