Description
Stand in the square, facing the bell tower. The exact date of the church’s construction remains unknown. Some claim it was built in the 11th century, whilst others believe it was in the 12th century. It is one of the few churches in southern Finistère to have been built during the Romanesque period. This is an artistic style dating roughly from the late 10th century. The decoration is influenced by ancient art, Oriental art and Celtic traditions. The church before you has undergone numerous restorations following a destructive storm and then a fire in 1754. It has been listed as a Historic Monument since 1930. Inside, the capitals, which sit atop the
columns, feature numerous crossettes (decorative projections at the corners of a frame); some interpret these as depictions of large ferns (a plant species sacred to the Druids). Legend has it that the Druids once lived on the Glénan Islands.
In front of you, you can admire the organ built by Pierre Saby. The sound transmission is entirely mechanical and it is made of chestnut wood.
Outside, on the Calvary side, stands the town’s war memorial, which was unveiled in 1922. It consists of a plaque affixed to the building’s wall. It is one of five monuments in Finistère considered to be pacifist in nature. It was created by René Quillivic, a Breton sculptor from Plouhinec who is highly renowned in Brittany for having created several post-war war memorials. He modelled the figure on a woman from Fouesnant mourning her three children who died in the fighting of the First World War, as well as another of her sons and her son-in-law who were murdered in the gas chambers.
Behind you, you can see the calvary, which was built in 1661. It is made of granite and kersantite (a magmatic rock found in abundance in Brittany).
