By Sylvaine Travadon
Editor’s Note: We have rekindled connections with our sister city Paimpol, France. Sylvaine is a local resident journalist of Paimpol and her bio is below.
In Brittany, religion is historically marked by Catholicism, which has profoundly influenced the heritage and culture of the region. Historically, the Bretons have played a key role in the evangelization of many regions around the world, which proves the importance of the Christian faith in their history. However, Brittany is also the cradle of older beliefs, notably those of the Druids, which are experiencing a revival. Today, there is a decrease in the clergy and a detachment from Catholicism, with the emergence of minority religions. But the patrimonial heritage of fervent catholic past is everywhere to see.
Beauport Abbey (Paimpol)
Beauport in French means “beautiful harbor”. This name by itself says the exceptional coastal dimension of the building: the abbey was founded in 1202, facing the sea. The site bears witness to eight centuries of history. Every era, monastic or secular, has left its mark here, from elegant Gothic architecture to gardens and orchards. From this mixture is born the romantic charm of the place. The abbey and the estate of Beauport were acquired in 1992 by the Conservatoire du Littoral, a public body in charge of seaside conservation, which greatly helped preserve the remaining parts of the abbey. It also serves as a starting point for pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.
https://abbayebeauport.com/fr/
Bonsauveur Abbey (Bégard, 33 km South West of Paimpol)
It was on July 4, 1880 that the first stone was laid and blessed. The work lasted eight years, interrupted by the need to raise funds. The chapel was blessed on September 11, 1888. The architecture can be felt, right down to its details, by this “romantic medievalism” characteristic of the School of Viollet-le-Duc. The chapel is a pure masterpiece of religious and Breton architecture, made of granite and oak materials. The architects had the good idea of adding to the pre-choir a beautiful cloister in the same style as the church, a cloister square of 45 meters on each side. The chapel possesses an organ of Cavaillé-Coll, great French organ builder of the nineteenth century.
https://www.fondationbonsauveur.com/la-fondation/histoire/culture-et-patrimoine-461.html
Coatmalouen Abbey (Kerpert, 55 km South of Paimpol)
The abbey was founded by Cistercians in 1142 in a heavily wooded area. Coat means “wood” in Breton language. The founders came from the mother house of the monks of Bégard. Coat Malouen is their fifth and last daughter abbey. All that remains today is an eighteenth-century abbey church, without a roof, and a majestic façade topped by a triangular-shaped pediment. The cloister space was stripped, the foundations of the missing buildings were brought together in evidence as well as the cloister garden.
https://www.abbayedecoatmalouen.fr/abbaye-de-coat-malouen/
Lanleff temple
The “temple” of Lanleff is probably the oldest building from the high Middle Ages still visible in the Côtes d’Armor, or even in Brittany. Remarkable for its two concentric enclosures in the purest early Romanesque style, particularly the 12 arcades of the inner rotunda. Almost all the surviving capitals and the bases of these columns are decorated with mostly geometric motifs as well as numerous twists. But also, in some cases, representations of living beings: humans, land animals, birds. There were more than 140 decorative elements on the building. Unfortunately, the friability of sandstone means that they degrade more and more quickly and become less and less visible and understandable. The charm of the building is reinforced by the mystery of its origin.
http://lanleff-temple.fr/visite-du-temple/
Meet Sylvaine Travadon:
I’m 56 years old. I was born and grew up in Northern Brittany. I studied business administration near Paris and worked for 30 years in the energy industry, first in Burgundy and then in Paris. My family stayed in Brittany, and together with my partner, we bought a holiday house in Paimpol in 2022. I now spend most of my free time over there and am happy to retrieve my roots. In 2023, I left my company and went back to school to become a journalist. I’m now looking for a job in that new area.
My hobbies include ice skating, skiing, swimming (in the sea), hiking, looking for mushroom, live shows and visiting museums. I also manage logistics and administration for my son who is a professional chess player.
