Baring-Gould Sabine
Brittany
Having retraced our steps to the road, we cross it and follow the avenues of upright stones till we reach and cross another road, that to Ploemel. The road has broken through the lines, which continue only a few yards to the east, and then are brought to a conclusion by blocking stones, that is to say, slabs set at right angles to the lines. From this point ensues a gap for about 345 yards where is a little plantation of Austrian pines, a stone quarry, and some furzy enclosures. The lines are not, however, wholly interrupted; a few upright stones and several that are prostrate testify that there was some continuation. We follow a new road through the plantation and between walls till we come abruptly on a fresh cluster of stones, and these the largest we have yet seen. This is the commencement of the Kermario group. These started from several tumuli enclosing dolmens, but of such only one, an allée couverte pertaining to the southernmost line, remains. The lines though mutilated are instructive. They start from this allée couverte and run about 250 yards to a pair of blocking stones, planted at right angles to the rows. The Kermario alignments run N.E. up a hill crowned by a disused windmill that has been constructed out of the blocks, then they continue some way till walls and a wood interrupt their course. Ten rows remain, and the number of the standing stones is 982. The largest of the menhirs is prostrate; apparently it had been purposely thrown down to form a coverer to a Gallo-Roman grave that has been discovered beneath it. What is of special interest is the fact that a Roman camp was formed in these lines, and that those who constructed the camp made use of the stones for their wall of enclosure, breaking up some, and employing others in their original position where it served their purpose. From the easternmost end of the Kermario group occurs an interruption of about 398 yards, and then we come upon a third set of stone rows, that of Kerlescant, which stretches 885 yards, but is much mutilated about the village. Thirteen lines can be traced containing 540 stones, but there were others, some 40, that lie to the north, and are the poor remains of another series of stone rows. On the east again the alignment is supposed to describe a curve towards the north, and then recommence and run east again to the Crach estuary. Near the rows is also a ruined allée couverte. The whole extent of rows cannot be estimated as short of 4½ miles.
Poor fragments of other alignments remain at Ste. Barbe, near a couple of windmills by the station of Plouharnel, and again, and remains of a stone circle by the dolmen of Keriaval. The dolmens are very numerous, but not in the commune of Carnac to the extent that they are in the adjoining parishes. An enumeration of them may be omitted here, as at Carnac for a franc at the Musée Milne may be had a serviceable little book, "Carnac et ses Monuments," by M. Le Rouzic, with a map. One word of caution must however be given – not to accept the wild theories promulgated relative to dolmens and alignments. A close and scientific comparative study of these monuments has led to a pretty certain determination as to their purposes. The dolmens and allées couvertes were sepulchres, family or tribal; and the alignments consist of stones erected by members of the tribe or families belonging to the tribe in honour of the several dead who were laid in the dolmens. The stone circles were either places where the dead were burned and funeral feasts were held, or were places of tribal gatherings for palavers; generally they served both purposes. Isolated menhirs were either memorials to the dead, or boundary marks between tribal lands. All dolmens were originally buried under cairns or tumuli.
The parish church at Carnac was rebuilt in 1639 and has a well proportioned tower and spire, with spirelets at the angles. Above the west door is a statue of S. Cornelius, who throughout Lower Brittany is the patron of horned beasts, as S. Eloi (Eligius, B. of Noyon) is of horses. On the north side is an extravagant baroque porch, with a stone crown or baldachin above it. The fountain of S. Cornély is west of the church. A tramway now connects Carnac with Belz and Erdeven.
The Pardon of S. Cornély takes place on Sept. 13, and is a curious sight. Cattle are brought to the church and offered to S. Cornély, and those thus offered are sold afterwards by auction, and are eagerly bought.
Plœmel. East of S. Cado is a menhir standing and two others fallen; east of S. Laurent by the roadside a menhir leaning, opposite a stone cross. In the tumulus of Mané-Bodgad near Kermarquer, a sepulchral chamber. The church has been rebuilt and is a despicable structure. In the cemetery is a lech fallen. Another found there has been trimmed and set on the top of the tower.
Plouharnel. The largest dolmen in the Department is that of Corconneau in this parish. It measures 6 feet high inside, and is 25 feet long. Four hundred paces to the east are the remains of an alignment composed of 21 menhirs. To the south the ground is strewn with ruined dolmens and menhirs either fallen or standing, relics of alignments that have been plundered. At Ste. Barbe, to which allusion has already been made, some 30 stones remain of an alignment, and the remains of a stone circle. At Vieux Moulin are six standing stones, and a little further the dolmens of Mané-Rémor and Runmeur. Further north at Kernevez a dolmen that has had its coverer displaced, and at Cosquer two or three more. On descending to the south at Runesto a dolmen half buried, and at Kerguvat, on the way to Carnac, a dolmen with a gallery. Between the village and the station is the tumulus of Rondossec that contains three dolmens, one of which when explored gave up two gold torques. The church is modern and bad.
For Erdeven see under Belz.
Caulnes (C.N.) chl. arr. Dinan. Once a Roman station. Relics found there are preserved in the Mairie. The church has undergone great alterations. The tower was rebuilt in the 18th cent., but the old W. entrance of the 16th cent. was preserved.
Guitée. Alignments of quartz blocks standing on others in which are cavities that have been found to contain ashes. There are five rows and run N. and S. One has in it 15 stones fallen, and 7 standing; one of them is 11 feet high. Another, a blocking stone, is 15 feet high. The second row has 12 stones fallen, and 2 upright; one of the prostrate blocks measures 15 feet 6 inches. The third line has 11 stones, all prostrate. The fourth line consists of 7 stones standing and 4 fallen. One of those erect is 18 feet 6 inches high.
Châteaubourg (I.V.) chl. arr. Vitré. The church has a renaissance portal. There are remains of a priory of the 14th cent. converted into a private house.
Châteaugiron (I.V.) chl. arr. Rennes. Ruins of a castle. Two towers fairly well preserved.
Châteaulin (F.) chl. d'arr. Prettily situated on the Aulne which is canalised, so as to connect Brest with Nantes. The hills rise to a considerable height above Châteaulin, as here the Monts d'Arrée and the Montagnes Noires draw together, the latter to be prolonged into the Peninsula of Crozon. But though prettily planted, there is not much of interest in the town. The church (S. Idumet) is modern and unsatisfactory. On a rock on the right bank of the river is the site of the castle that has been completely destroyed. The chapel however remains. The piers and arches are of the 12th cent. The tower is renaissance and is beautifully proportioned. The archway into the churchyard is 16th cent., and the cross and ossuary of the same period. P. 1st Sunday in Sept. From Châteaulin the Menez-hom (990 ft.) may be visited for the sake of the view over the Rade de Brest and the Bay of Douarnenez. Ste. Marie du Menez-hom is a chapel (1574-91), with renaissance bell tower. The iron gate to the churchyard is of 1730, the Calvary of 1544.
S. Nic, most picturesquely situated, has a quaint granite church of the prevailing style of fusion of Gothic with renaissance.
S. Ségal (Cadwalader). In this parish the Chapel of S. Sebastian is of the dimensions of a church. It possesses some old glass. The Calvary is of the same type as that at Ste. Marie du Menez-hom. It consists of a cross with a double pair of arms beneath; on the topmost are SS. Mary and John, on the lower Roman soldiers on horseback. P. Sunday after 22nd July.
Loperec. The church (S. Bridget) has a spire of 1668, and an interesting Calvary of 1552. The porch dates from 1586, with niches containing statues of the twelve apostles, these carved in 1615. In the church is some fine work of the barbaric style of Louis XIV., especially the retable of the altar of the Rosary. P. last Sunday in August.
Cast. Has a Holy Well of the 15th cent., much resorted to, especially on the Pardon, 2nd Sunday in May. At Lelzach are menhirs. The Mur du Diable is a wall rudely constructed of blocks not set in mortar, probably prehistoric.
Quéménéven (S. Ouen, who has displaced S. Eugene, B. of Ardstraw). In this parish is the Chapel of Kergoat, one of the most renowned and favourite places of pilgrimage in Lower Brittany. The great Pardon is on the Sunday after the 15th August.
* CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-FAOU (F.) chl. arr. Châteaulin. A picturesquely situated town on the Aulne. The well timbered heights of the Montagnes Noires rise to the south. The castle has disappeared, and its site is occupied by the hideous modern chapel of N.D. des Portes in a parody of Romanesque. The very interesting 16th cent. chapel was destroyed to make way for this monstrosity. However, the beautiful doorway (1430) has been preserved. The Pardon, very largely attended, with a procession bearing candles on the eve, is on the last Sunday in August. The parish church (S. Theilo, B. of Llandaff) has been rebuilt and is successful. The tower of the old church, 17th. cent., remains. The patron has been relegated to a place of no consideration in the S. transept to make room for saints more modern and in the Roman Martyrology.
Spezet. The interesting Chapel of N.D. du Crann is of 1502, and possesses seven magnificent stained glass windows of 1548. There are chapels of S. Tudy, P. 3rd Sunday in July, and S. Bridget, P. Sunday after the Ascension. But the P. at N.D. du Crann, the most important, is on Trinity Sunday.
Landeleau. The church (S. Theilo) is fine and has a porch of 1540. P. Monday in Whitsun Week.
Châteauneuf (I.V.) chl. arr. S. Malo, on the high road from S. Malo to Dinan. It is near the estuary of the Rance but is not on it. The castle has been almost wholly destroyed and a modern castle built on the site. The parish church, which is small, has a picturesque tower and some flamboyant windows.
S. Suliac possesses an interesting church of the 13th century. It contains the tomb of the Saint Tysilio, as the Welsh call him, who is the reputed author of the original History of the Britons, from which Geoffrey of Monmouth drew some of the facts which he embroidered with elaborate fiction. He was the son of Brocwel, King of Powys. On his father's death, an elder son succeeded to the principality, but reigned only two years and died childless. Thereupon the widow proposed to marry Tysilio, and take him out of his monastery to become King of Powys. Tysilio had no inclination either for the lady or for the crown, and refused. His sister-in-law was exasperated and so harassed him and his monastery, that he deemed it expedient to quit Wales. He came to Brittany and landed at Aleth (S. Servan) and founded a monastery where is now Saint Suliac. On the death of his sister-in-law he returned to Wales, and became Bishop of S. Asaph in succession to Asaph, who was his first cousin. In his old age he seems to have retired to die in his Breton Monastery.
Châtelaudren (C.N.) chl. arr. S. Brieuc. The castle, originally a Roman camp, was the residence of Aldor or Audrien, prince of the British colonists who settled here. The castle was destroyed in 1808. It is now in private grounds, prettily situated above a little tarn. The parish church is modern, but on the height above the town is N.D. du Tertre, a church, 2nd pointed but with a flamboyant east window. There are remains of old glass. There is a 2nd pointed stone altar of S. Margaret. The spire was added later and there are internal buttresses. The wooden ceiling is covered with paintings. Near the chapel is a picturesque 16th cent. mansion. In the parish church alabaster bas reliefs of the 16th cent. are preserved in the sacristy.
Bocqueho, on the main road to Quintin, has a flamboyant Chapel of N.D. de Pitié with stained glass of the period representing scenes of the Passion.
Chèse, La (C.N.) chl. arr. Loudéac. There are halles of the 17th cent., and a church of the 18th.
La Ferrière. The church is partly of the 13th and partly of the 14th cent. The south chapel is of the 16th, with good glass of 1546 and 1551. Ruins of the abbey of Lantenac, founded in 1150; a portion of the cloisters remain, and a chapel of the 15th cent.
Plèmet. Chapel of S. Lubin of the 16th cent. with contemporary glass. In one window the legend of S. Lubin; in another the life of S. John the Baptist.
Cleguerec (M.) chl. arr. Pontivy. Church modern, but in the churchyard a cross of the 17th cent. In the Chapel of S. Morvan is the tomb of the Saint, a rude granite sarcophagus. Near the church, by the roadside, is a lech with crosses cut on it. In the chapel of the Baptist is 16th cent. glass. Several allées couvertes are in the parish. One at Parc-er-bé, near the hamlet of Rotherbaz, 36 ft. long. At Bod-er-Mohet remains of another, 72 ft. long, divided into compartments within. Near by a menhir 12 ft. high. P. at S. Gildas, 1st S. in May. P. at S. Jean, S. after the 24th June. That at S. Anne 4th S. in July. Pretty lake at Ste. Brigitte.
Combourg (I.V.) chl. arr. S. Malo. Church modern and very bad. The castle belongs to the Châteaubriant family, and is shown on Wednesdays. It is a structure of the 14th and 15th cents., and has been carefully restored. It stands above a little lake in a picturesque situation, and has good grounds and trees about it. In the dining-room is a bust of Françoise de Foix, who was the wife of the Count of Châteaubriant. The count was compelled to be at Court, but long refused to allow his wife to appear there, and only yielded when Francis I. insisted upon it. The King fell desperately in love with her, and made her his mistress. The count was forced to swallow his rage, but when the fickle king turned to Mlle. d'Helly, afterwards Duchesse d'Etampes, then he carried her back to Châteaubriant where he starved her to death. The castle is supposed to be haunted by an old Châteaubriant with a wooden leg and by his black cat. The author of Réné and Athalie spent much time here in his youth, and his room and chair are shown. A ruined dolmen is at Chevot.
S. Leger. Church of the 15th cent. A prehistoric monument goes by the name of La Chaise de Saint Leger.
Cugnon. A menhir called La Pierre longue, 20 ft. high.
Concarneau (F.) chl. arr. Quimper. A fishing port, where sardines are tinned. It is also a resort of artists. Concarneau is picturesquely situated on a bay, and is divided into the New and the Old Town, the former very modern and uninteresting. The Ville Clos occupies an islet and is enclosed by walls flanked by towers. Entrance is obtained by three gates: the principal is to the west and is defended by two great towers, and has a drawbridge. Some parts of the fortifications date from the 14th century. One large bastion is attributed to the Duchess Anne. There is an aquarium in the place, and the studios of the Breton artists should be visited. The Chapel of N. Dame de Bon Secours is of the 15th cent. Two kilometres distant to the N.E. is the Château de Kerjolet, rebuilt and given to the Department in 1890 by the Countess Chaveau-Narishkine. It contains a museum in which are preserved specimens of all the coiffes and costumes of Lower Brittany, as well as antiquities prehistoric and mediæval. The factories for tinning sardines may be inspected. The costume about Concarneau is pretty, and the place is noted for the good looks of the women.
Lanriec. Here is an allée couverte, here is also a cromlech, or circle of standing stones. P. 2nd Sunday in September.
Trégunc. Numerous prehistoric monuments. A fine menhir at Ker ar Gallon, another 30 ft. high. A stone circle 248 ft. in diameter. A dolmen on the Lande de Kerlan 24 ft. long. P. de S. Marc, the S. after 25th April. P. de N.D. de Bon Secours, 3rd S. in September. P. of S. Philibert, last S. in August, and that of S. Elizabeth the ensuing Sunday.
Corlay (C.N.) chl. arr. Loudéac. Church of S. Elouan of 1576. Old Holy Well. The Chapel of S. Anne was built in 1198, destroyed in the war of the two Jeannes, and rebuilt in 1485, and dismantled in 1599. On the Lande de la Justice foundations remain of the old gallows; allée couverte, called Le Tombeau de Gargantua, near the hamlet of Faouët, on the road to Uzel.
Haut Corlay. Near the village is the Men Bixiquet, a menhir 9 feet high. North of the Tertre aux Colombs, a rectangular fortification enclosing tumuli, a vast number of others are outside.
Plussulien (S. Sulien). The church is of the 16th cent. The Holy Well of S. Sulien is of the 16th cent. as well. The Chapel of the N.D. de Saleon of the 15th cent.
Croisic, Le (L.I.), chl. arr. S. Nazaire. A little port and bathing place. It is here that Cæsar stood to watch the naval fight between Brutus and the Venetian fleet, which resulted in the complete destruction of the latter. The Venetii had large vessels with leather sails, whereas the Romans had galleys. The success of the latter was wholly due to the failure of wind to fill the Venetian sails and enable the great ships to move. By this means the Roman galleys were enabled to attack each huge hulk separately, and the Venetian fleet was thus destroyed piece-meal. After this Cæsar in cold blood slaughtered all the nobles, and sold all the population he could lay his hands on into slavery. Le Croisic lies on a slight elevation that runs as a ridge banking out the Loire from the low tract of salt marsh on the other or inland side. N.D. de la Pitié (1494-1507) has a N. porch of 1528, and a tower of the 17th cent. The Chapel of S. Goustan is partly Romanesque, and has a miraculous Holy Well near it. A marine hospital for scrofulous children is at Le Croisic.
Batz, on the same ridge as Le Croisic, is also a sea-bathing place and in much resort. The church (S. Winwaloe) is of the 15th and 16th cents., with a stately tower rebuilt in 1677. The pillars of the earlier 13th cent. church remain. The church was restored in 1866. In Batz is a little museum in which are preserved the old costumes of the district.
Pouliquen (The White Pool), also a sea-bathing place. On the rock of Penchâteau is a chapel containing a 15th cent. alabaster bas-relief.
Crozon (F.) chl. arr. Châteaulin. The bleak promontory of Crozon spreads out to the west and forms the headland of Camaret, then intervenes the bay de la Chèvre, and to the north the headland of Crozon. The church (1602-15) contains a retable representing the martyrdom of the Theban Legion. The spire is modern. There is a stone circle at Tyahurey in the midst of a vast lande, a dolmen at Rostudet, and stone rows at Kercolleoch and Landaoudec. The coast to Morgat is fine, much gnawed into by the Atlantic, and full of caverns. There are, however, good stretches of sand. Dinant takes its name from the rocks that shoot up like walls and towers of a fortress. The bay of Dinant is beautiful, and here also are many caves, notably that of the Korrigans or water-sprites. P. Sunday after 29th June.
Camaret is a little port given over to the sardine fishing and to the tinning. The Chapel of Rozmadou dates from 1560. At Toulinquel is a set of stone rows. At Kerloch a little lake. The Benediction of the Sea takes place on the 3rd Sunday in June.
Lanveoc (S. Fiacc, B. of Sletty). Here are prehistoric remains. P. Sunday nearest to 26th July.
Daoulas (F.) chl. arr. Brest. An Augustinian abbey was founded here in 1170. To this period belong the body of the church and portions of the choir. A porch was added in renaissance times. Glass of the Breton school of the 16th cent. remains in the church windows. The cloister is Romanesque, and of the same date as the foundation of the abbey. Semi-circular arches rest on columns alternately single and coupled, and with early foliage in the capitals, and with ornamented bases. In the midst of the cloister is a basin also of the 12th cent. Chapel of B.V.M. 1550, and Chapel of S. Anne 1667. Daoulas is at the head of a long tidal creek, between hills, in a pretty situation. The Kersanton stone, so largely used for sculpture in the churches of Lower Brittany in the 16th and 17th cents., is quarried not far from here.
L'Hôpital Comfront. A commandery of the Knights of S. John was here. The church is in the common transition style between flamboyant and a renaissance, with an open bell tower for two bells and a side turret, disengaged with cupola, containing the stair. The west front has a doorway much like that at Rumengol. In the church is a statue of S. Barbe of 1511. P. Easter Monday.
Irvillac. Church with a renaissance tower and spire. P. des Reliques 3rd Sunday in July. P. des Marches, with wrestling, 3rd Sunday in October.
* DINAN (C.N.) chl. d'arrond. In a picturesque situation, 225 feet above the Rance which flows through a gorge to the sea, between granite cliffs broken by bays down which flows abundant foliage. The town is walled round on all sides save that on which is the railway station. Three gates remain, and a postern of the castle. The original castle stood in a different position, and was called the Château de Gan. It has disappeared, and a vulgar and pretentious modern house occupies its site. The present castle was erected in 1458 and 1480. Of the twenty-four towers which originally surrounded the town fifteen remain in a more or less ruinous condition. Portions of the wall date from the 13th cent. The most picturesque portion of the town is the Rue de Jerzual leading to the old port on the Rance, in which are many ancient houses. In some parts are houses with arcades. The Tour de l'Horloge, singularly picturesque, is of the 15th cent. The Church of S. Sauveur is in part Romanesque, the lower portion of the west front to the bottom of the window, and the S. side of the nave. But the N. aisle, transepts and choir are flamboyant inclining to renaissance. The central slated crown to the tower is singularly beautiful in outline and proportion. There is one window in the N. aisle which contains old glass. A chapel contains the heart of Du Guesclin. The Church of S. Malo is late flamboyant of the 16th cent. throughout, except the S. transept front, which is renaissance. The W. window is modern, and remarkably bad in design. The church contained good old glass of the period, which the curé sold, and has supplied its place with utter rubbish. The Chapel of S. Joachim outside the Porte S. Malo is mainly Romanesque of the 11th cent. It was chapel to a priory. At Ste. Esprit is a granite cross sculptured with figures on the site occupied by the Earl of Lancaster when investing Dinan. Near this is a large lunatic asylum, with beautiful grounds, to which admission is accorded. The chapel built by the lunatics, if architecturally bad, is effective after its fashion, and well intended. From the Porte S. Malo a pretty walk, planted with limes, leads to La Fontaine, a chalybeate spring in a deep valley. A noble viaduct connects Dinan with Lanvallay. In summer an expedition may be made by boat or steamer to the Chapel of S. Hubert, an expedition well repaying the trouble. The Château de la Garraye is of the 16th cent., prettily situated, falling annually into more complete ruin. That of La Conninais, however, is kept up. A tower and the chapel are late flamboyant, but the main building is a century later.
Léhon has a ruined castle on the height, and by the river the remains of a priory. The church, of the 13th cent., has been restored; the ugly east window is modern, and the stained glass is all bad. In the churchyard is the Romanesque doorway of the parish church, which was pulled down when the priory church was put in order.
Corseul. The ancient capital of the Curiosoliti, with Roman remains, notably a temple of Mars, of very peculiar construction, an apsidal chapel with a huge extended peristyle before it, like a cloister. The parish church, a wretched modern structure, contains a Roman cippus. In a picturesque situation is the Château de Montfilant, of the 12th cent., with to the N. traces of a prehistoric camp. In the farmhouse on the site of the castle are some statues, one of 16th cent., of S. Agatha carrying her amputated feet, and another of S. Anne of the 17th cent.
S. Helan. The church has some old glass in the E. window, representing the saint, who with six other Irish bishops visited S. Remigius at Rheims in 509. On their way, after having landed at the mouth of the Rance, they founded churches along their route up the river. At La Ganterie on the road to Dol, at the 8½ kilometre milestone, a little to the left is a ruined allée couverte, on the site of a prehistoric workshop for tools. The site is interesting not to the archæologist alone, but also to the mineralogist. The stones of which the dolmen is composed are diorite, and the material of which the tools were fashioned is the silex in the granite fused by a dyke of diorite which has run it into flint clots. The tools here fabricated were of a rude description.
S. Samson. A fine menhir at La Tremblaye, in a little wood, 30 ft. high, but inclining, as it was undermined by treasure seekers. According to popular superstition, if re-erected, Dinan would perish by a flood. A delightful walk may be taken from S. Samson to Dinan, by a road that leads down to the river, and comes out by the mouth of the glen of La Fontaine. From it the grand view of Dinan with its spires and viaduct may be obtained. The Rance at this point formerly swept round a rocky peninsula, but this was cut through and the course rectified, when the river was canalised. The walk may be extended by taking in Taden, where are the neglected tombs of the Count and Countess de la Garaye. At their own desire they were buried among the poor, to whom they had devoted their lives, in the churchyard.
Trigavou, between this place and Pleslin, is a wrecked series of alignments. Though a monument historique, the peasants have been recently blowing up the stones with gunpowder, and the remains are in too great disorder to be planned. In the church on a beam is a carving that represents a hare which when pursued by hunters took refuge in the sacred edifice.
Le Hinglé, a walk of a mile and a half from the station, takes to the Château of Chalonge, with a tower and picturesque gables. It is being well restored by the proprietor.
Dinard-Saint Enogat (I.V.) chl. arr. S. Malo. Picturesquely situated on an indented coastline opposite S. Malo, and connected by a tramline with S. Lunaire and S. Briac. It is a favourite resort for wealthy Americans during the summer, and has a casino, where those who like to lose their money may do so. Bathing is best obtained at S. Lunaire where are good sands. Scanty remains of a priory founded in 1324. The chapel in ruins contains a colossal statue of the Virgin and child of the 15th cent. An old house, traditionally supposed to have been once occupied by the Black Prince, has a couple of picturesque towers with conical roofs and gables. A house quaintly decorated with numerous statues of saints.
S. Lunaire has an excellent beach. Lodging houses are extending rapidly along the coast from Dinard to S. Briac, and in process of time there will be a continuous line of houses. The modern church is portentously vulgar, but the little old church has been happily spared. It has a low slated tower at the junction of the transepts. Within is the tomb of the saint, who was son of Hoel and Pompeia, and born in South Wales. His father was founder of Llanhywel in Pembrokeshire, and his mother lies buried at Langoat near La Roche Derrien. He was brother of S. Tugdual the founder of Tréguier, and nephew of S. Brioc. The story goes that he left his portable altar behind him in Wales, and that two doves crossed the sea bringing it to him in their beaks. On his tomb a dove is represented with the slab in its beak. The fact on which this legend is founded is probably that his sisters, crossing later, brought to him what he had forgotten. One sister was called Sceva, Ste. Sève as she is now called. Another story told of him is that when he settled at this spot on the coast, with his monks, to his dismay it was discovered that seed corn had been forgotten. Then Leonore knelt in prayer, and presently a robin was seen perched on a stone with an ear of wheat in its beak which it let fall when scared. The grains were sown, and on the following year all the produce of the little harvest, and eventually all the district round, derived its wheat from "Robin Redbreast's Corn."
S. Briac. Situated above a picturesque bay partly closed by an islet. It has a little port. The church is modern except the tower, which is renaissance. An extensive alignment existed here, extending to the headland above the sea, but the exigences of builders have almost if not wholly destroyed it. The saint from whom the place takes its name was an Irishman, a native of Ulster, who joined Tugdual and Leonore in South Wales and followed them to Brittany. Briac was given a site for a monastery where now stands the town of Bourgbriac, where is his Holy Well. He soon made of it a flourishing school for missionaries, who were sent throughout the district. After many years he went on pilgrimage to Rome, and on his way back halted at Arles, where he remained two years. Then he returned to Brittany, where he died at an advanced age about 570, and was buried at Bourgbriac.
