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Bretagne
Official site of the Tourist Office of Centre Morbihan

St Maurice church at St Aubin, Plumelec

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The most beautiful string-pieces in Morbihan

Chapelle St Aubin Plumelec

The string-pieces are the only beams that join up the frame to the supporting wall. It seems that the Bretons might have been the only ones to think about sculpting the string-pieces… These ones were made in 1513 by the Nivet brothers. These amazing sculptures in high-relief are for many reasons exceptional:

  • the representations in corners, usually with angels or saints, are here with dragons and devilish beasts in charge of catching men with bad behavior,
  • their size is surprising (more than twice the usual size),
  • the Passion of the Christ is represented on the choir's side, on the altar's right,
  • the symbols are on the other side : the Passion's instruments, the vine, Eucharist's symbol...

It says "jehan et guillemot nyvet ont ce bois-ci fait" (jehan and guillemot nyvet have this wood made).

The keystones are carved with various motifs: ermines of Brittany, plants and mischievous characters (acrobat, gesticulating madman, leaning heads ...). The stained glass window of Saint-Aubin dates from 1899.

Photo © Fr. Lepennetier

The carvings on the entrails

Chapelle St Aubin

The tie rods are the through-beams that join the sandpits together.

Here, each entry begins with the mouth of a dragon that swallows sinners: a chicken thief, a hunter (who gets bitten in the nose by a boar, devil's henchman...), dancers too profane for the taste of the Church...

They are called engulfed entrails.

Photo © F. Baslé


Other church photos, © Fr. Lepennetier and Ph. Gauthier

Chapelle St Aubin Dragon chapelle St Aubin Plumelec Chapelle St Aubin
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