Chapelle Sainte-Brigitte de Grand-Champ

Grand-Champ

Isolated at the hamlet of Loperhet, in the commune of Grand-Champ, the chapel of Sainte-Brigitte has kept the rhythm of a pardon still celebrated here every third Sunday of September: a mass in honour of the Irish saint, followed by a convivial gathering organised by the neighbourhood association, perpetuates a tradition of local devotion. The present building, of solid granite, dates from 1560–1569 for its nave, but its history begins before that: according to local tradition, it was first dedicated to Saint Matthew before being placed under the patronage of Saint Brigid of Kildare, a major figure of Irish monasticism whose cult spread to Brittany from the early Middle Ages along the paths of evangelisation from the British Isles. The chapel is accompanied by a fountain, a characteristic feature of Breton places of popular devotion, where water was traditionally held to be beneficial. Listed as a monument historique, it preserves 16th-century roof timbers with carved wall plates and tie-beams, as well as a three-sided east end attributed to one Carteron. While scholarly writings on its exact origin remain scarce, the survival of the pardon to the present day makes it a living witness, modest but authentic, to the religious geography of the Vannes country.

Getting there : Free admission; at the hamlet of Loperhet

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

Ambient sound