Some are well known to the public because services, even pardons, are held there every year. They are also sometimes places of worship chosen by municipalities or associations of volunteers organizing exhibitions, conferences or concerts.
Others are well hidden in a small valley or isolated in the moors by the sea. It takes perseverance to find them and the visitor always feels a lot of satisfaction when he finally sees their bell-towers above the vegetation. And a little disappointment also when the monument is not opened (ask before at the Tourist Office).
There are still some that are located within the walls or inside the domain of an old manor house. If it is still inhabited, the access to the chapel is not obvious and it is sometimes necessary to wait for the Heritage Days to be able to discover the chapel.
Most of the time, these ancient monuments have recently been or will soon be restored. Because their state requires it and the public is sensitive to the conservation of these places of worship, even if the Church does not always have the possibility of organizing services there. In this case, the renovated building quickly becomes an appointment around which inhabitants and tourists spontaneously meet for a country party or entertainment.
This link between a population and its heritage has its roots so far in our history that it deserves respect. And if it engages current generations, it is not out of nostalgia for a bygone past, but because men and women are concerned to pass on a living heritage to future generations in good conditions.
Yannick Loukianoff
Many animations are organized in the chapels of the Iroise Country : classical or religious music concerts, exhibitions and choirs await you.
See on the heading :
Animations and festivals .
