A calvary is a type of monumental public Christian cross, sometimes encased in an open shrine. Usually a calvary has three crosses, that of Jesus Christ and those of impenitent thief and penitent thief.
A calvary is a type of monumental public Christian cross, sometimes encased in an open shrine. Usually a calvary has three crosses, that of Jesus Christ and those of impenitent thief and penitent thief.
The oldest surviving calvaire, dating to between 1450 and 1460, is in France at the Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Tronoën in the town of Saint-Jean-Trolimon, in south Finistère, near the Pointe de la Torche. This is raised on a large base which also includes carved representations of the Last Supper and scenes from the passion. Calvaires played an important role in Breton pilgrimages known as Pardons, forming a focal point for public festivals. In some instances the Calvary forms part of an outdoor pulpit or throne.
Calvaires are to be found in large numbers throughout Brittany, and come in many varied forms. [1] Breton calvaries typically include three-dimensional figures, usually representing the Virgin Mary, the apostles, and saints, attending the Crucifixion itself. [2]
A 16th-century calvaire from Louargat, Brittany, transplanted to serve as a World War I memorial, stands at the Carrefour de la Rose near the Belgian town of Boezinge north of Ypres. [3]
The most notable Calvary monument outside Brittany is at Lourdes. This was specifically intended to represent Breton Catholicism. It was created by the sculptor Yves Hernot in 1900 as a gift to Lourdes from the main Breton dioceses: Rennes, Vannes, Quimper and Saint-Brieuc. [4] The monument comprises a single central cross set within a raised square base at each corner of which a statue of one of the witnesses to the crucifixion is placed.
In northern France and Belgium, such wayside calvaries erected at the junction of routes and tracks "function both as navigation devices and objects of veneration", Nicholas J. Saunders has observed [5] "Since medieval times they have fixed the landscape, symbolically acquiring it for the Christian faith, in the same way that, previously, Megalithic monuments marked prehistoric landscapes according to presumed religious and ideological imperatives".
In Southern Italy calvaries are common. A typical variation is the Calabrian calvary, which includes 3 or more paintings of the Passion of Jesus on a wall surmounted by a cross and protected by a low fence.
The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, are a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of his crucifixion and accompanying prayers. The stations grew out of imitations of the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem, which is a traditional processional route symbolising the path Jesus walked to Mount Calvary. The objective of the stations is to help the Christian faithful to make a spiritual pilgrimage through contemplation of the Passion of Christ. It has become one of the most popular devotions and the stations can be found in many Western Christian churches, including those in the Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, and Methodist traditions.
La Nouaye is a commune in the department of Ille-et-Vilaine in Brittany in the northwest of France.
Yves Hernot is the name of two sculptors, father and son, who ran the Ateliers Yves Hernot sculpture workshop in Lannion, Brittany, which specialised in creating Calvaries and tombs.
A wayside shrine is a religious image, usually in some sort of small shelter, placed by a road or pathway, sometimes in a settlement or at a crossroads, but often in the middle of an empty stretch of country road, or at the top of a hill or mountain. They have been a feature of many cultures, including Chinese folk religious communities, Catholic and Orthodox Europe and some Asian regions.
The Five Crosses are a set of stone crosses at Ploubezre, near Lannion, Côtes-du-Nord, in Brittany, France, classified as a historic monument by a decree of 7 December 1925 and, as a group, attributed to the 18th century.
A calvary, also called calvary hill, Sacred Mount, or Sacred Mountain, is a type of Christian sacred place, built on the slopes of a hill, composed by a set of chapels, usually laid out in the form of a pilgrims' way. It is intended to represent the passion of Jesus Christ and takes its name after Calvary, the hill in Jerusalem where Jesus was crucified.
Yann Larc'hantec or Yann Larhantec was a Breton sculptor born in Plougonven on 30 May 1829. He died in Landerneau on 11 January 1913.
Roland Doré was a 17th-century sculptor and his workshop or "atelier" produced many sculptures for the enclos paroissiaux or "parish church enclosure or closes" of Brittany. In particular his work can be seen on calvaries and in the church's south porch. He was born in 1616 and died in 1660. Little detail of his life is known but it is recorded that he practised as an architect in Landerneau, as well as running his workshop, and was recorded as calling himself the "Sculpteur du Roi". His works, all of an ecclesiastical nature, are mainly located in Léon and the north of Cornouaille. They can be taken as works by Doré's workshop rather than just by Doré himself. Brittany is particularly rich in calvaries, some of a very elaborate nature. In most cases the calvary involves both the crucifixion cross and side crosses or gibbets bearing the good and the bad robbers. Below this, on the crosspieces, were statues of those present at the crucifixion. A feature of Breton calvaries is that most of the statues were carved as a pair and effectively back to back. Doré's output was prodigious and he worked on nine monuments in Saint-Thégonnec, five in Logonna-Daoulas and four in the parish of Plougastel-Daoulas. He also received four commissions to work in Hanvec, three in Guiclan, Irvillac and Lampaul-Guimiliau and two commissions in Cléden-Cap-Sizun, Hôpital-Camfrout, Landerneau, La Martyre, Plabennec, Pleyben, Plogonnec, Saint-Nic, Saint-Servais and Saint-Urbain.
The Calvary at Kergrist-Moëlou in the Arrondissement of Guingamp in Brittany, France, dates back to 1578. It was the work of the sculptor Guillaume Jézéquel except for the crucifix which was the work of the sculptor Yves Hernot de Lannion and was remounted on the calvary in 1896. Kergrist-Moëlou is located in the Côtes-d'Armor region, the ancient diocese of Cornouaille. Jézéquel had worked alongside his brother on the Kergrist-Moëlou church in 1554. Originally the calvary's sculpture was substantial, with records showing that it was decorated with almost one hundred statues telling the story of the life and death of Jesus Christ, but the calvary was vandalized during the 1793 French Revolution leaving many statues broken and decapitated with others disappearing completely. What is now left of the calvary stands on a large octagonal granite base and fragments of the mutilated figures are placed around the cross itself. This article gives some of the history of the calvary and describes its constituent parts.
The Calvary of Plougastel-Daoulas in the arrondissement of Brest comprises a raised octagonal pedestal made from the yellow granite of Logonna-Dāaoulas, flanked by four thick arched buttresses. All the sculptural work is by the Maître de Plougastel except the horseman on the left of the crucifix which is by Millet. It is a listed historical monument since 1889.
The Calvary of Guéhenno, dating from 1550, is located in the village of Guéhenno in the Pontivy arrondissement of Brittany. This article gives a full description of the calvary and details of how it was rebuilt after suffering severe damage in 1794. This calvary is classified as one of the seven great calvaries of Brittany and is the furthest to the east, being located in the ancient diocese of Vannes. It is made entirely from granite save for some bas-reliefs carved using "pierre bleutėe". The granite used is fine grained which lends itself to being carved. Extracted from the Guéhenno region, it was also used for the north porch at Ploërmel and the façade of the château at Josselin.
The Saint-Herbot Parish close is a religious complex outside the village Plonévez-du-Faou, Finistère, Brittany in north-western France. It is located on the road between Huelgoat and Loqueffret. The parish close contains the chapel of Saint-Herbot, the calvary and a small ossuary.
The Le Tréhou Parish close is located at Le Tréhou in the arrondissement of Brest in Brittany in north-western France. The parish close was first established in 1555 then reconstructed in the 17th century and reworked in the 18th century. The church, the Église Sainte-Pitère, is dedicated to Saint Pitère and is shaped in the form of a Latin cross. The south porch was added in 1610, with a statue of Saint Pitère over the entrance. The nave has six transepts and aisles with two lateral chapels forming a faux transept. The enclos paroissial is distinguished first and foremost by the architectural quality of the church with its 1649 Renaissance double-galleried bell tower. The calvary is a listed historical monument since 1926.
The Lampaul-Guimiliau Parish close is located at Lampaul-Guimiliau in the arrondissement of Morlaix in Brittany in north-western France. It is a monumental churchyard belonging to the Église Notre-Dame in that town. This church was built in the late 16th century to replace an older one. The structures in the parish close date to the 16th and 17th century. It is a listed historical monument since 1910.
The Locmélar Parish close is located at Locmélar in the arrondissement of Morlaix in Brittany in north-western France. It is a listed historical monument since 1934.
The Brasparts Parish close is located at Brasparts within Brittany's Châteaulin arrondissement in north-western France. The church is named the Église paroissial Notre-Dame-et-Saint-Tugen. Building started in 1551, a date which appears over the church's west door. The church is often called the "Église de Brasparts"' and is a listed historical monument since 1914. The church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and Saint Tugen, the Breton saint, and is for the most part built in the Gothic style. It has a double galleried "léonard" style bell-tower with a conical side tower which contains a stairway to access the bells. The porch has statues of the twelve apostles. The north window of the choir dates to 1543. Two niches in the choir area depict the parish's two saints and protectors, the Virgin Mary and Saint Tujan or Tugan.
The Saint Hernin Parish close is located at Saint-Hernin in the Châteaulin arrondissement within Brittany in north-western France. The parish church was completed in 1682 and the enclos paroissial comprises the church, an ossuary and calvary. The south porch dates to 1632. Statuary in the church includes Saint Hernin, to whom the church is dedicated, Saint Corentin, Saint Michael, Saint Guénolé, Saint Catherine, John the Baptist, a pietà and Saint Peter. It is a listed historical monument since 1972.
The Cléden-Poher Parish close comprises the Église Notre-Dame de l'Assomption, a calvary and an ossuary, and is located in the arrondissement of Châteaulin in Finistère in Brittany in north-western France. It is a listed historical monument since 1983.
The Quéménéven Parish close comprising the parish church, a triumphal arch and calvary is located in the arrondissement of Châteaulin in Finistère in Brittany. The bell tower and the western façade of the church are a listed historical monument since 1969.
The parish close of Plougastel-Daoulas in northwestern France comprises the Saint Pierre church, an elaborate calvary and a war memorial. The calvary at Plougastel-Daoulas is a listed historical monument since 1889.
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