Commanderie du Palacret

Saint-Laurent

Brittany readily calls "Templar" anything that is old and bears a cross; the Palacret says the opposite. The Hospitallers of Saint John have been established on the bank of the Jaudy since the 14th century, and the commandery saw thirty commanders follow one another between 1312 and 1792. Brother Yves de Savigne is known in the last quarter of the 14th century, then the knight Pierre de Kerenborgne, mentioned in 1448 and buried the following year in the chapel of the manor; the first parish mention of the place goes back to 1427, the church is of the middle of the 15th century. The Palacret, like most Breton commanderies, was not a fortress but a farm: a noble residence, a chapel, a mill, an enclosed courtyard and lands whose revenues went, by way of the grand priory, to finance the galleys of Rhodes and then of Malta. It was on this house and on that of La Feuillée that the church of Notre-Dame de Runan, for example, depended. Sold as national property — the chapel in 1795, the manor in 1797, the mill in 1806 — the whole fell into ruin and served as a quarry; the land register of 1818 already showed nothing more than sections of wall. Recent excavations have found the main hall, a cellar and paving tiles.

Wikipédia — Saint-Laurent (Côtes-d'Armor) ↗

Getting there : Between Bégard and Saint-Laurent, north-west of Guingamp; reached by the small Palacret road and a car park on the bank of the Jaudy. The site, laid out by the local authority, is freely open all year: paths along the river, interpretation panels, cleared remains. Guided tours and events take place in season. The ground is damp and the riverbanks slippery.

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

Ambient sound