Magoar’s religious heritage takes many forms: the Église Saint-Gildas, the Chapelle des Filles de la Croix in Coatpiquet and the Fontaine Saint-Gildas. The story ranges from successive building phases to a precisely dated chapel and a historic tradition of protection. For travellers interested in architectural history, this variety offers different perspectives on the area, bringing architecture, chronology and religious tradition to the fore in different ways.

The Église Saint-Gildas: architectural features and building history

The Église Saint-Gildas is a 16th- and 17th-century building. Its features include a nave, an aisle, a bell tower, an entrance porch, an ossuary, a baptismal font and a seigneurial chapel. The nave and aisle describe the layout of the church interior; the porch, tower and ossuary add to its multi-part composition. Both the layout and the individual architectural elements contribute to the church’s character.

Details inside and on the exterior façades add further points of interest. Exposed, panelled wooden beams form a vault inside. The wall supports are carved, and the tie beams are moulded. Outside, the gables are decorated with hooks, chimeras and pinnacles. The architectural impression is therefore shaped both by the layout of the church interior and by the craftsmanship of its structure and façade ornamentation.

The building history spans several periods: the choir and northern transept arm date from the second half of the 15th century. The nave, southern transept arm and southern porch date from the 16th century. O. Tili built the tower between 1587 and 1623; restoration work took place in 1787. The Église Saint-Gildas was listed as a historic monument by an order dated 7 January 1929. The building phases, restoration and historic-monument designation thus represent distinct historical milestones.

The chapel and the spring: other connections to Saint Gildas

The Chapelle des Filles de la Croix in Coatpiquet, Magoar, dates from 1900. Its floor plan is in the shape of a Latin cross, with the altar at the crossing, where the nave and transept intersect. Its history includes two separate blessings in the same year: the foundation stone was blessed on 3 May 1900, and the chapel on 24 September 1900. The floor plan and the two dates offer a different focus from the complex building phases of the Église Saint-Gildas: here, the emphasis is on the layout and the recorded dates in the building’s history.

The Fontaine Saint-Gildas is an 18th-century spring located 250 metres from the religious building. Its gable wall has a niche containing a polychrome wooden statue of Saint Gildas. There is also a historical tradition: the fountain was once the centre of a cult intended to protect dogs from rabies. These are two complementary aspects, though they tell different stories: the niche and statue describe an architectural feature, while the former cult reflects a religious tradition with a specific purpose.

When planning your trip, you can distinguish the three sites by their main features. At the Église Saint-Gildas, architectural elements, interior decoration, façade ornamentation and several building phases come together. The chapel draws attention to a floor plan and the building history of a single year. At the Fontaine, a spring, its artistic features and the recorded tradition of protection combine. Magoar’s religious heritage thus encompasses both architectural history and different forms of religious remembrance.

Discover more destinations: Rostrenen, Caulnes, Noyal, Lanvollon, Trégastel, Saint-Péver, Tréméloir and Trédaniel.

For the main travel guide: Côtes-D’armor.