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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Saint-Laurent seigneurial chapel of Saint-Gilles-Pligeaux, built in the 2nd quarter of the 16th century, is an emblematic religious building of Brittany. It is built of assembled granite and has late Gothic motifs, as evidenced by the date 1531 engraved on the southern gate. Its architecture is distinguished by a single extended vessel of a north transept, a three-sided bedside pierced with third-point bays, and a stone bellet decorated with jewels. The western and southern doors, with almost identical medieval decorations, are framed with pinnacles and accolades carved with foliage and vegetal crosses. Inside, a wooden cradle vault covers space, while major restorations were carried out in 1630 and 1902.

Ranked a historic monument by decree of 22 January 1979, the chapel stands on a placister enhanced by the rubble of the ancient church of Saint-Gilles, highlighting its anchor in local history. The west gable, surmounted by an apparent bell, and the foothills of the choir, decorated with pinnacles, reflect a craft know-how typical of the Breton Renaissance. The building thus blends Gothic heritage and renaissant influences, while embodying the central role of seigneurial chapels in the community and religious life of the time.

Situated in the Côtes d'Armor department, the chapel is part of a landscape marked by agricultural activity and the seigneurial power of the sixteenth century. At that time, private chapels, often financed by noble families or brotherhoods, served both as places of worship and as symbols of prestige. Their construction in granite, an abundant local material, bears witness to the resources and techniques available, while their carved decoration reveals the influence of the travelling artisan workshops, spreading the Gothic styles flamboyant and reborn in Brittany.

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