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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Saint Clair Fountain is located in the eponymous valley, on the territory of the municipality of Limerzel, in Morbihan. Dated precisely from 1725, it is part of a religious complex including a 16th-century chapel (reshuffled later) and a cross erected in 1818. This site, which is still active during the annual forgiveness in early October, bears witness to a local tradition of water-related devotion, known for treating eye disorders. The fountain, by its presumed therapeutic use, was central to popular practices of health and spirituality.

Classified as historical monuments since September 25, 1928, the Saint-Clair fountain illustrates the heritage importance of sacred fountains in Brittany. Its architecture, although little detailed in the sources, integrates into a religious landscape marked by complementary buildings (chapel and cross). Official protection emphasizes its historical and cultural value, while preserving a place of memory associated with local beliefs. The communal property of the monument guarantees its conservation and accessibility.

The Saint-Clair site more broadly reflects the role of healing fountains in the Ancien Régime Brittany, where water was often associated with miraculous virtues. These practices, combining Christianity and popular traditions, structured community life around collective rites, such as pardons. The fountain, by its monumental inscription and its persistent use, embodies this continuity between medieval heritage (the 16th century chapel) and modernity (classification in the 20th century).

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