Basilique Notre-Dame du Folgoët et sa fontaine miraculeuse

Le Folgoët

The basilica of Notre-Dame du Folgoët, a masterpiece of Breton Flamboyant Gothic, rises on the very spot where, according to legend, Salaün ar Foll died around 1350 — an "innocent" who lived naked in the woods, fed by the charity of the villagers and able to utter only the words "Ave Maria". A lily is said to have grown on his grave, bearing the inscription "Ave Maria" in golden letters right down into its roots — a miracle said to have decided Jean IV, duke of Brittany, to have the present basilica built between 1423 and 1460, with its famous granite rood screen and its bell-gable inspired by the Kreisker at Saint-Pol-de-Léon. A fountain, known as the fountain of the lily or of Salaün, still flows at the east end of the building: local tradition has it rising at the very site of the spring that quenched the innocent's thirst in his lifetime, and its reputation makes it one of the most renowned miraculous fountains of the Léon, credited with the power to cure all kinds of ailments. Le Folgoët, whose name means "the fool's wood", remains today one of the greatest Marian sanctuaries in Brittany: its pardon, the Breton pilgrimage festival celebrated in early September, draws thousands of pilgrims every year around the basilica, which is listed as a monument historique.

Getting there : 5 km from Lesneven, 20 km from Brest; basilica open all year round, fountain accessible at the east end of the building.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound