Chapelle Sainte-Suzanne

Mûr-de-Bretagne (Guerlédan)

According to local tradition, a first chapel of Sainte-Suzanne stood on the neighbouring hill of Méné-Heiz. Having fallen into ruin, it was to be rebuilt; but a statue of the saint, loaded onto a team of young oxen that bolted, is said to have fallen near an oak at the present site — the inhabitants saw a sign in this and built the new chapel on that precise spot. This foundation legend, typical of Breton sanctuaries, explains the position of the building away from the village, on the heights overlooking Lake Guerlédan. Beyond the story, the documented history is rich: construction began in 1496, the bell tower was added only in 1760, funded by the rector Hervé Le Coq, and in 1722-1723 the interior received exceptional painted panelling telling the Passion of Christ and the life of Saint Susanna in a naive Baroque style quite rare in the rural chapels of the region. The annual pardon, the Breton pilgrimage festival, is still held every year on the first Sunday after the ritual date, perpetuating a local devotion unbroken for more than five centuries. The site, today in the commune of Mûr-de-Bretagne (Guerlédan), offers a view of the lake into the bargain.

Getting there : Free access, open during the pardons and on request to the commune

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

Ambient sound