Chapelle du Louya

Gaël

Tucked away on the edge of the forest of Brocéliande, the chapel of Le Louya occupies a site whose history goes back, according to local tradition, to a small monastery mentioned as early as the 6th century: the "Loyat", a house of hospitality where monks and pilgrims found shelter on the road linking the abbeys of Saint-Méen and Paimpont — a stretch that joined, more broadly, the routes to Compostela. The monks left the place in 1152, when their endowment was attached to the abbey of Bédée; the building, fallen into disrepair, was rebuilt in the 16th century, as witnessed by the date 1556 carved on a pillar of the aisle, beside initials that remain enigmatic. The west doorway and part of the nave may nonetheless go back to an older campaign, before the 14th century. In the close, a calvary shows Christ on the cross on one side and a Pietà on the other, in a style close to that of nearby Le Bran. The chapel is dedicated to Saint Christopher and Saint James, natural patrons for a staging post for travellers. A restoration carried out in 1998 by the association "Les Amis de la Chapelle" brought back to light the original altar and some fine steps of red schist. Every year, on the second Sunday of July, a pardon — the Breton pilgrimage festival — carries on this vocation of welcome and popular devotion, several centuries after the first pilgrims of the Loyat.

Getting there : Free access to the close and the calvary; opening hours of the chapel to be checked with the Brocéliande tourist office

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

Ambient sound