Église Saint-Gildas de Laniscat

Laniscat

At Laniscat, a commune now part of Bon Repos sur Blavet, the parish church of Saint-Gildas dominates the village with its massive bell tower, a square 17th-century tower crowned with an openwork lantern, the most remarkable feature of the building and listed as a monument historique (historic monument) as early as 1921; the rest of the church, restored and completed in the 16th century, was registered in 1925. The site perpetuates an ancient and still living cult: every year, on the last Sunday of January, the pardon of Saint-Gildas is held — the Breton pilgrimage festival in honour of a 6th-century Welsh monk venerated in Brittany as protector of animals and traditionally invoked against rabies, fevers and childhood illnesses. Nearby, the fountain of Saint-Gildas, laid out in the 18th century with its three basins and its gabled wall with niches, still bears the popular nicknames of "the dog's fountain" and "the cat's fountain", a memory of these invocations; sold as national property at the Revolution, it was bought back by the parish vestry in 1819. According to the parish registers, an episode that has remained in local memory illustrates this devotion: in August 1663, a six-year-old girl who had fallen into a well in the neighbouring village of Pohon is said to have survived thanks, according to the rector of the time, to the intercession of Saint Gildas and Saint Mathurin — a "miracle" carefully recorded by the clergy, revealing more about the popular fervour of the age than about any far-flung pilgrimage sanctuary.

Getting there : Free admission

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

Ambient sound