Church art, local history, and hiking give Lampaul-Guimiliau a range of things to explore. Notre-Dame is home to specific works and features; Chapelle Sainte-Anne and Maison du patrimoine add to the cultural and historical themes. For getting around on foot, there is the GR 380 long-distance trail, a 230-kilometre circular route, and the Circuit de la fontaine Sainte-Anastasie, with four named stops. These differences can help you decide what you want to focus on during your stay.
Notre-Dame Church and the Ossuary
Notre-Dame Church in Lampaul-Guimiliau has six 17th-century altarpieces. It also contains a life-size Entombment group with nine figures. The numbers illustrate two different scales: several altarpieces from one period and a single life-size group of figures. If you choose sacred art as a travel theme, you can take in both the church’s furnishings and a particular work.
The church was classified as a historic monument on 26 October 1910. In Lampaul-Guimiliau’s parish enclosure, the ossuary bears the inscription “Memento Mori” and a frieze of skulls and crossed shinbones. Together, the inscription and imagery turn attention to the transience of life and represent a different form of commemorative culture from the sacred depictions in Notre-Dame.
Chapelle Sainte-Anne and Maison du patrimoine
Chapelle Sainte-Anne dates from the 17th century and is open to visitors in summer. If you plan to visit the chapel, check current access arrangements before your trip. The de Brézal family contributed to funding the chapel and had its coat of arms carved twice. This links the date to a specific trace of the family’s involvement.
Maison du patrimoine adds insights into historical domestic life to the cultural themes. Its interior includes, among other things, a box bed and furniture from times past. The museum also holds an exhibition every year; the specific exhibitions vary. The furnishings mentioned are therefore presented alongside a changing exhibition programme that returns each year.
Hiking around Lampaul-Guimiliau
The GR 380 is a 230-kilometre circular route around the Monts d’Arrée. It passes through the municipalities of Landivisiau, Sizun, Commana, Guimiliau, and Lampaul-Guimiliau, among others, and runs through the Parc naturel Régional d’Armorique. Lampaul-Guimiliau is therefore part of an extensive hiking network that takes in several municipalities.
The Circuit de la fontaine Sainte-Anastasie passes by the parish enclosure, the Fontaine Saint-Pol, the Fontaine Sainte-Anastasie, and the Croix du Télégraphe. While the GR 380 is described as a long circular route around the Monts d’Arrée, the Circuit lists specific stops. When planning, consider whether you want to include the long-distance trail as part of a larger hiking itinerary or focus on the Circuit’s named points. Also note the distinction between Chapelle Sainte-Anne and Fontaine Sainte-Anastasie: the Circuit passes by the fountain, while the summer opening applies to the chapel.
Discover more destinations: Quimper, Pont-Croix, Le Folgoet, Confort-Meilars, Le Cloître-Saint-Thégonnec, Plouhinec, Milizac, Ploumoguer
For the broader travel overview: Finistere.
