The best walks and hikes around Guimiliau

This church is dedicated to a saint with many names: Mélar, Méliau, Melair, Mélaire, Melard, Meleuc, Méloar, Méloir, Meloire, and Miliau are French variants of "MELIAVUS of LANMEUR" (the official church name). The recorded dates of life of the Breton king and martyr are * 470, + 583. The feast day of Saint-MILIAU in the calendar of saints is October 26th.

superb building, guided tours possible in July and August

The architecture of the church is rather sober, but it is rich with altarpieces, altars, statues, stained glass windows, paintings, etc. It contains, among other things, a carved baptistery made of oak from 1675, a pulpit from 1677 and an organ built in 1670 by Jacques Mascard, organ builders at Landerneau, but was rebuilt several times between 1681 and 1683, notably by Thomas Dallam. then remodeled in 1789 by Florentin Grimont and in 1863 by Heyer. Source: https://fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enclos_paroissial_de_Saint-Th%C3%A9gonnec

For a change from the churchyards of the past few days, feel free to visit the interior of this magnificent church and spend more time inside rather than outside on this tour. The pulpit of the church as well as the organ are absolutely beautiful and their gilding and statuary decorations will inevitably catch your eye. A nice surprise that we discover as soon as we cross the doors of the religious building.

Guimilau too, like its neighbor Lampaul-Guimilau owes part of its architectural richness to the practice of tanning, but also to horse breeding and beekeeping. Today it is still the agricultural world that sustains the small town, but also tourism, as its town center is so picturesque and representative of a certain Brittany. It's a bit postcard-perfect, but architecture enthusiasts will appreciate it.

The parish close is the religious space which is dedicated to the passer-by, to all comers. It allows the illiterate to understand the strong and important moments of the Catholic religion. It is still located in the village, in the center of the parish. We say enclosed, because always closed and surrounded by a wall. In central Brittany, we always find this triptych associated: church, ossuary and parish enclosure. The ossuary is also a Breton particularity: it is an openwork granite monument where the skulls, shins and various bones of the dead are carefully stored. A stylish way to make room in the cemetery. Some ossuaries are filled, others have been emptied of their contents. The parish enclosure of Lampaul-Guimillau is absolutely remarkable. You can see the many character details of the statues. It is an art that is both naive and severe. It's a bit like a comic book but sculpted. A real architectural and religious treasure of the rich Breton culture. This enclosure is nicknamed "the tanners' enclosure". In 1780, there were more than 146 tanneries in the commune. The profits from this activity enabled the construction of this enclosure and the exceptional brilliance of its sculptures.

The Calvary probably goes back to menhir crosses and is a Breton peculiarity. He offers a Bible study in the form of many small statues. In St.-Thégonnec the figures wear 17th century clothing.

The parish is a clearly delimited ensemble of coordinated buildings, the religious center of which is the Calvaire. The parish grounds are entered through the triumphal gate, often via a high stone slab that is set in vertically and can only be overcome by a large step. It offers the dead protection from demons and eternal damnation and still makes it clear today that one is entering a special place. Ossuary resulted from the fact that the cemeteries were very limited in space. If they became too small, the bones of those who had long since died were dug up and kept in an ossuary.