Church of Saint-Ronan
A parish belonging to the bishopric of Quimper and to the country of Cornwall, Locronan is very ancient linked to the history of the duchy of Brittany. This important centre of pilgrimage known for its Troménie (or procession), will benefit from the donations of the Dukes of Brittany, in particular for the construction of the church erected in the form of a cathedral by the will of Anne of Brittany from 1424 to 1480. The Penitentiary Chapel adjoining the listed church in 1845 houses the bed of St Ronan. In addition to the magnificent 15th-century glass masterpiece and the pulpit for preaching, the church contains a beautiful piece that needs to be restored to ward off the ravages of time: the Altarpiece of the Rosary.
About this building
The present church was built between 1430 and 1480 thanks to donations from the Dukes of Brittany John V, Peter II and Francis II, on the site of the chapel of the priory dependent on the Abbey of the Holy Cross of Quimperlé, founded in 1031 by the Count of Cornouaille Alain Caignard. The presence of the master stonemason Pierre Le Goaraguer in 1485 is attested: he participated in the construction of the cathedral of Quimper between 1477 and 1479. The vaulted building (length: 36 m; width: 16 m), presents a great unity of style. The general volume presents a play of compact masses, with an offset in the middle due to the relief. The vessel follows the slope of the ground, rising towards the chevet, with a landing very marked by a gable in the middle of the nave, punctuated by an openwork bell with an arrow. Access to the church is via two porches: the first, wide, applies to the western façade (a ribbed vaulted space opened by a semicircular arch); the second, more modest, is to the right of the second bay to the north (two arcades in scalloped pointed arch).
