Chapelle de Kermaria

Squiffiec

The remains of the chapel of Kermaria, at Squiffiec, bear witness to a building erected in the 14th and 15th centuries. Its west porch, gable and east end date from the 14th century; the octagonal piers separating the nave from a side chapel to the south were altered in the following century, and a sacristy was added in the 19th. Damaged during the wars between the Duke of Brittany and Olivier de Clisson at the end of the 14th century, the chapel benefited from indulgences granted by Pope Boniface IX in 1389 and 1392 to finance its rebuilding — a papal gesture that underlines the importance of the sanctuary at the time. Notre-Dame de Kermaria was long a destination for healing pilgrimages: according to local tradition, people came to ask for the cure of children suffering from "weakness of the loins", a popular devotion now fallen into oblivion. Disused from 1921, the chapel underwent consolidation works in 1854 and again in 1983, but remains today in a ruined state, without a complete roof. Registered as a monument historique (historic monument), it is a rare and moving witness to a rural sanctuary fallen into disuse after six centuries of continuous devotion.

Getting there : free access to the surroundings; building in a ruined state, disused

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

Ambient sound