Chapelle Saint-Gonéry et sa flèche penchée

Plougrescant

The silhouette of Saint-Gonéry is one of the most recognisable in Brittany: a lead spire added in 1612 to a Romanesque tower too weak to bear it, so that the base tilted one way and the spire the other, and successive shoring-up has straightened nothing. Gonéry, a monk who came from the island of Britain in the 6th century to flee the Anglo-Saxon invasions, a disciple of Saint Tugdual, is said to have converted Prince Alwand before withdrawing here to join his mother, Saint Eliboubane, who had retired to the nearby island of Loaven. His tomb drew such crowds that an outdoor pulpit had to be built for the pilgrims who could not get inside. The saint was invoked against fevers and anxieties: pilgrims took earth from the tomb, sealed it in a small bag worn around the neck, and brought the bag back as an offering once cured. The fountain, built in 1682, gives water reputed to cure fever, blessed by means of a silver dish containing a relic. The saint's relics — skull encased in silver-gilt, arm, bones — were authenticated by official reports in 1638, 1648, 1747 and 1807 and are carried during the pardon, the Breton pilgrimage festival. Tradition relates, finally, that the boldest climbed the spire with iron crampons to tie coloured ribbons to the weathercock, and were given wine on the way down. The interior preserves painted panelling of the 15th–16th centuries illustrating the Old and New Testaments, and the monumental tomb of Bishop Guillaume du Halgouët, dated 1599.

Commune de Plougrescant — notice de la chapelle Saint-Gonéry (PDF) ↗

Getting there : In the village of Plougrescant, some ten kilometres north of Tréguier, on the peninsula of the same name; car park immediately nearby. Free visits, unguided or guided, run by the association of the Amis de la chapelle Saint-Gonéry, generally Monday to Saturday afternoons in June, July and August and on request the rest of the year (02 96 92 51 18). Annual pardon in July. The outdoor pulpit and the fountain can be seen from the enclosure.

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

Ambient sound