Chapelle Saint-Méen

Ploemel

Built of dressed stone according to the canons of Flamboyant Gothic, the chapel of Saint-Méen at Ploemel owes its construction to the noble Larlan family, lords of Coët-Quintin, who had it built from 1502 until its completion in 1556. The building is striking for its plan of two adjoining vessels, linked by round-headed arcades, and for its east ends braced by massive buttresses. Inside, a stained-glass window of 1556, restored several times, notably in 1902, together with a granite high altar and five statues of the 18th–19th centuries (including a fine group devoted to Saint Fiacre and Saint Hervé), bear witness to the popular piety attached to the place. But it is above all its vocation as a healing sanctuary that has earned the chapel its renown: according to tradition, Saint Méen, a Welsh abbot who came to evangelise Armorica in the 6th century, cured scabies, leprosy and rickets in children. A nearby fountain, reputed for its curative virtues, drew pilgrims who came to immerse themselves in it in the hope of a cure — a devotion that endures, at least symbolically, during the annual pardon celebrated on the second Sunday of October. The chapel is registered as a monument historique. No source consulted confirms the link with the Templars suggested by the original T4T35 category; it is the popular healing devotion, solidly attested, that makes the place of interest to a visitor.

Getting there : Free access to the surroundings and the fountain; interior generally open during the pardon (2nd Sunday of October) and on certain occasions

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

Ambient sound