Chapelle Saint-Urfold, Bourg-Blanc, France
The chapel
The chapel, located one kilometer northwest of the town, on the road to Coat-Méal, is in a magnificent setting, which also houses a fountain and a Calvary. It would date from the 15th century but it is likely that it partially contains earlier chapel structures. The chapel, sold during the revolution, was ceded to the town in 1825 by a certain Mr. Guéna. In 1841, the town donated it free of charge to the “factory” so that it could once again be opened for worship. The chapel had only one altar and included statues of the patron saint, of Our Lady of Sorrows and of St-Jean the Evangelist. Over the decades that followed, it gradually deteriorated and it took all the abnegation of the Friends of Saint-Urfold to restore it to health, in particular by adorning it with stained glass windows relating the life of the hermit.
“Although the name of its builder is not known with certainty, it is attested that the Kerlozrec family was the main donor from the first half of the 15th century. This is why it is possible to think that, perhaps, the members of this family and, more particularly Jehan de Kerlozrec and his wife Catherine de Kerhoënt (owners of the Coativy-Bihan manor in 1443) whose coat of arms still appears above the west door and on the left of the north altar, were at the origin of the construction of the Saint-Urfold chapel. However, they were certainly not the only ones to play an important role in the history of this building in the Middle Ages since four coats of arms of other lords also adorn the walls. Unfortunately these coats of arms could not provide any additional information. In effect, Having been only painted and not hammered like those of De Kerlozrec, most have either become naturally illegible over the centuries, or probably erased during the French Revolution. As for the one to the right of the altar, although decipherable, it does not appear in theNobiliary and Armorial of Brittany of Pol Potier de Courcy. Therefore, it remains a great enigma. Therefore all the hypotheses concerning it are possible. Was this coat of arms that of the wife of a son of Jehan de Kerlozrec, who came from a region outside Brittany? The question remains.
Rectangular in plan, the chapel has a nave with three bays and a large openwork apse with two tall twin windows. At the same time as the construction of this building, the tomb of the saint was highlighted by the installation of a plain sarcophagus, three feet high, without inscription, hollowed out a vaulted arcade.
To accompany the tomb, in addition to the furniture necessary for any office, it seems that around the 16th century (early modern period) the statue of Saint Margaret of Antioch and of Christ on the Cross, still visible today, were also placed in the chapel.
It was probably the same for the pietà in polychrome wood, placed since 1950 in the Notre-Dame church” (after Once upon a time Bourg-Blanc , Aurélie Alliard-Bescond).
Chapelle Saint-Urfold, Bourg-Blanc, France
The chapel
The chapel, located one kilometer northwest of the town, on the road to Coat-Méal, is in a magnificent setting, which also houses a fountain and a Calvary. It would date from the 15th century but it is likely that it partially contains earlier chapel structures. The chapel, sold during the revolution, was ceded to the town in 1825 by a certain Mr. Guéna. In 1841, the town donated it free of charge to the “factory” so that it could once again be opened for worship. The chapel had only one altar and included statues of the patron saint, of Our Lady of Sorrows and of St-Jean the Evangelist. Over the decades that followed, it gradually deteriorated and it took all the abnegation of the Friends of Saint-Urfold to restore it to health, in particular by adorning it with stained glass windows relating the life of the hermit.
“Although the name of its builder is not known with certainty, it is attested that the Kerlozrec family was the main donor from the first half of the 15th century. This is why it is possible to think that, perhaps, the members of this family and, more particularly Jehan de Kerlozrec and his wife Catherine de Kerhoënt (owners of the Coativy-Bihan manor in 1443) whose coat of arms still appears above the west door and on the left of the north altar, were at the origin of the construction of the Saint-Urfold chapel. However, they were certainly not the only ones to play an important role in the history of this building in the Middle Ages since four coats of arms of other lords also adorn the walls. Unfortunately these coats of arms could not provide any additional information. In effect, Having been only painted and not hammered like those of De Kerlozrec, most have either become naturally illegible over the centuries, or probably erased during the French Revolution. As for the one to the right of the altar, although decipherable, it does not appear in theNobiliary and Armorial of Brittany of Pol Potier de Courcy. Therefore, it remains a great enigma. Therefore all the hypotheses concerning it are possible. Was this coat of arms that of the wife of a son of Jehan de Kerlozrec, who came from a region outside Brittany? The question remains.
Rectangular in plan, the chapel has a nave with three bays and a large openwork apse with two tall twin windows. At the same time as the construction of this building, the tomb of the saint was highlighted by the installation of a plain sarcophagus, three feet high, without inscription, hollowed out a vaulted arcade.
To accompany the tomb, in addition to the furniture necessary for any office, it seems that around the 16th century (early modern period) the statue of Saint Margaret of Antioch and of Christ on the Cross, still visible today, were also placed in the chapel.
It was probably the same for the pietà in polychrome wood, placed since 1950 in the Notre-Dame church” (after Once upon a time Bourg-Blanc , Aurélie Alliard-Bescond).