Chapelle Sainte-Agathe

Langon

This small building at Langon is a rare case in Brittany: a 4th-century Gallo-Roman structure — probably a temple dedicated to Venus, or baths — preserved almost intact above ground, converted into a place of Christian worship around 838 and dedicated to Saint Agatha. Dating from well before the 12th century, the chapel has come through nearly seventeen centuries without being destroyed, which makes it one of the oldest religious buildings in Brittany still standing. It preserves medieval wall paintings, rediscovered and restored in the 19th century, laid over the ancient masonry. Its survival owes something to its isolated position beside the Vilaine, away from the great rebuilding campaigns that transformed most Breton chapels in the centuries that followed.

Getting there : free access, on the banks of the Vilaine

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

Ambient sound