Chapelle de Lanvignec

Paimpol

The history of Lanvignec goes back well before the chapel one visits today: as early as 1198, Pope Innocent III confirmed that this territory, then an enclave of the bishopric of Dol, formed part of the possessions of Saint-Riom. In the 13th century Lanvignec became a trève, a subsidiary parish, of Perros-Hamon, dependent on the powerful abbey of Beauport close by — and it is from this abbey that the high altar now to be seen in the chapel comes. The present building, probably raised in the 17th century, adopts a Latin-cross plan with an architectural detail rare in the region: the corners of the chevet and transept are rounded rather than right-angled. Suppressed as a parish at the Revolution, Lanvignec was attached to Paimpol by royal ordinance in 1824. It nonetheless lives on to the rhythm of its annual pardon, the Breton pilgrimage festival that gathers the people of Paimpol around this little sanctuary away from the town. The chapel's recent history has been eventful too: the storm of November 1987 seriously damaged its bell tower, and it was thanks to the support of the Sauvegarde de l'Art Français, which funded the masonry work in 1989, that the building could be consolidated. Lanvignec thus offers a striking shortcut through eight centuries of religious history in the Côtes-d'Armor, from the medieval enclave of Dol to the conservation projects of today.

Getting there : Free access to the walled placître (chapel green); opened for the annual pardon.

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

Ambient sound