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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Yves, located in the centre of the village of Plouray (Morbihan, Brittany), is a Catholic building whose oldest parts date back to the late 15th or early 16th century, as evidenced by an inscription of 1486 in the transept. However, its present structure is the result of a major overhaul in the 3rd quarter of the 17th century, marked by engraved dates (1661, 1662, 1687, 1688) and elements such as the bentier of 1688 or the 17th century altar, subsequently restored. Its bell tower, which was crushed in 1836, was rebuilt in 1889, while the current vault (1902) replaced a 1787 panel.

Until 1839, the church was dedicated to Saint Rivoal (or Saint René), before being placed under the patronage of Saint Yves. Its furniture includes 17th and 18th century retables, 1829 stalls, and 16th and 17th century baptismal fonts. The hammered weapons of the Rohan princes of Guémené, as well as those of the local lords (of Guidfos, of Nouay), recall the feudal ties of the building. Ranked a historic monument in 1935, it illustrates the architectural and religious evolution of rural Brittany.

The exterior is distinguished by Renaissance skylights (circular or rectangular), an ossuary under the bell tower, and a partially dated western facade of 1486. Inside, the choir houses an altar of the seventeenth century advanced after 1965, while the arms of the transept house altars of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The numerous inscriptions (1867 in the porch, 1687 under the vault) and statue paintings complete this rich heritage, reflecting the liturgical and social transformations of the parish.

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