Ossuaire de La Roche-Maurice et son Ankou

La Roche-Maurice

On the bank of the Élorn, the enclosure of La Roche-Maurice brings together the church of Saint-Yves, a calvary and an ossuary. The ossuary bears two dates, 1639 and 1640, in Latin inscriptions that tell man he is dust. The diocesan notices regard it as the most perfect building of the Elorn workshop, the group of sculptors who worked kersanton stone in the valley in the 17th century. Corinthian columns separate the bays, and niches punctuate the upper level. Above the corner holy-water stoup, a skeleton brandishes a dart; its phylactery says: ‘I kill you all’. This is the Ankou, the Death of the Bretons, found carved at La Martyre, Ploudiry or Landivisiau. Anatole Le Braz quotes this threat in the introduction to La Légende de la Mort. The inspiration of this ossuary can be seen at Lampaul-Guimiliau, whose charnel house of 1667 copies it.

Diocèse de Quimper et Léon — notice La Roche-Maurice (Couffon et Le Bars) ↗

Getting there: Place de l'Église, La Roche-Maurice, east of Landerneau; enclosure freely accessible, ossuary visible from outside, interior open depending on the season.

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

Ambient sound