Nestled in a bouquet of trees, the building rises near the road to Brasparts.
Nestled in a bouquet of trees, the building rises near the road to Brasparts.
The chapel is under the patronage of Saint Combert or Compars, a Breton saint whose written document has not kept the memory. Saint Compars was invoked for the healing of cattle. The accounts of 1703 mention: "Received for sick cattle, 36 soils 3 deniers". The peasants took their sick animals to the nearby fountain, made them drink and then washed their sore limbs.
Its history
It was probably built in the 16th century, when the richness of the parishes and the increase of the population led to a flowering of chapels. Most truces (districts of a parish) have a chapel that rivals its neighbors. The chapel avoided the inhabitants of the Lospars truce, faithful of the Sunday morning mass, to travel four kilometers of bad muddy roads to get to the parish church. The first written mention of the chapel dates back to 1664.
The land on which the chapel is built belonged to the seigneury of Trésiguidy whose coat of arms «gold with three heads of gueules pine» appear on the tower of the bell tower. The chapel was completely rebuilt between 1699 and 1701.
At the time of the revolution, the chapel was declared Bien National; it was inventoried on 23 October 1792. The commissioners had the chapel opened by Guillaume Le Baut fabrique (treasurer). Liturgical ornaments and vestments were sold at the auction in Châteaulin on 3 July 1794. The chapel itself, put up for sale, found no buyer.
In ruins in 1884, it was restored as desired by Mr Quéré, parish priest of Châteaulin. The arms of the transept were removed and reduced to its present dimensions. A new restoration took place in 1989 on the initiative of Pierre Doux and the chapel committee.The enclosure
The enclosure, planted with old oaks, serves as a natural porch as it arouses contemplation. The Calvary, dated 1645, presents a crucifixion and a Pietà from an earlier period. At the bell tower with lantern, sometimes rings a bell which carries, between two nets of moldings, the date of 1639 with below a crest of three lilies and a head of angelot. It was restored in 2013. It is not of origin, the old bell had been lowered, on November 15, 1793, by Guillaume Le Goff at the request of the mayor M. Delaroque, in application of a decree of the Convention. It was transported to Port-Launay before being melted in the arsenal of Brest.Inside of the chapel, the stained glass windows imagined and designed by Yves Drénou in the 1990s were made by Alain Grall, master glassmaker, in 2002 and 2005. Yves Drénou has designed a hymn to creation where we find evocations of the elements: the sea, the earth, the sky of life: fish, animals, flora, birds; not to mention man in the great technological advances of the 20th century with the atom and space. But to remain contemporary of the chapel, in the choir, two stained glass windows represent Saint Sebastian and Saint Roch once invoked against the plague.
The same painter created the triptych above the altar. “ In the centre of the triptych is a sketch of a faceless figure. Everyone can give him the face he wants. Circles begin from the central subject as if to encompass the everyday realities that appear on the parts of the triptych.” (Yves Drénou) Part of the frame is visible. The statuary does not lack interest. A polychrome wooden statue depicts Saint Compars as a bishop with screed, mitre, finger ring and butt. The saint also appears as a bishop on his banner. On the beam of glory is placed a crucifixion, with the Virgin and Saint John, in polychrome wood. At the base of the paneling, blocks represent the four evangelists.
An ancient Blessed is decorated with a mask.
Three paintings devoted to the history of Brittany are signed respectively, one by «Dutouquet 1990», two by «S. Dordonna 1991». For his part, Yves Drénou has signed two paintings. The chapel houses a superb collection of religious clothing: chapes, chasubles, stoles, dalmatics… The religious activity of the chapel during the year that sees prayer meetings, in the month of May, culminates in the day of forgiveness, Whit Monday. Guy LECLERC
