Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Botlézan Chapel, located in the Côtes d'Armor, is a Catholic building that began construction in the 15th century. From this period remain the first two southern spans of the nave and the southern chapel. The rest of the building, including the sacristy (dated 1702) and part of the northern façade, was completed in the 17th and 18th centuries. Its typical Breton architecture, with a hexagonal arrow bell tower and an adorned ossuary, reflects local traditions of religious construction in nature, often near sacred sources.

Botlézan owes its foundation to Saint Tunvel, sister of Saint Idunet, who establishes a hermitage around which some houses developed. The name Botlézan also means "people of the Religious". The chapel, formerly dependent on the bishopric of Tréguier, was listed in the Historical Monuments in 1964 and then classified in the same year. Its rectangular flat bedside plan, south porch and side chapel illustrate Breton architectural evolution over three centuries.

Inside, the walls and a chapel of the baptismal fonts, bounded by a stone wall and a wooden fence, testify to its liturgical use. The west facade, with its tower-closing adorned with a tower of round staircase, dominates the whole. The outer ossuary, marked with the inscription "Rerat in pace" and a head of death, recalls the funeral practices of the Ancien Régime. Today a communal property, the chapel retains a heritage and memorial role in the region.

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