Chapelle Saint-Jean-Balanan

Plouvien

Nestling in the wooded valley of the Aber Benoît, the chapel of Saint-Jean-Balanan owes its name to balanant, the broom that once covered these slopes. Around 1440, the knights of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem – the Hospitallers, later the Order of Malta – kept a commandery here on which depended a hospital for pilgrims and the poor; the present building, with its massive buttresses and its bell tower pierced with arrow slits, still has that air of a small religious fortress. The tympanum of the west doorway, carved with a Baptism of Christ, recalls in its style that of nearby Le Folgoët. Every 24 June, Saint John's Day, the chapel remains a lively goal of pilgrimage: according to local tradition, people came to pray here for the feast of the patron saint, a devotion attested from the 19th century by official requests for celebrations. In 2021, a restoration project yielded an unexpected discovery: beneath layers of limewash, ten wall paintings of the late 16th century reappeared, narrating the life and martyrdom of Saint John the Baptist. Now managed by the Sant Yann association, the chapel welcomes around 1,200 visitors a year, between concerts, exhibitions and ceremonies, perpetuating in its own way the spirit of hospitality of the Hospitallers of old.

Getting there : Free access to the surroundings; the interior opens for events organised by the Sant Yann association.

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

Ambient sound