The Calvary at Lopérec in the Châteaulin arrondissement in Brittany dates to 1552 and apart from some bas-reliefs around the pedestal was the work of the sculptor Fayet.

Background and description of the calvary

The calvary stands in the parish church's cemetery and comprises a square pedestal, decorated with four bas-reliefs, from which rises a cross depicting the crucifixion. The cross has two crosspieces and at its base is a statue depicting Mary Magdalene kneeling in prayer on one side and

Francis of Assisi Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, better known as Saint Francis of Assisi ( it, Francesco d'Assisi; – 3 October 1226), was a mystic Italian Catholic friar, founder of the Franciscans, and one of the most venerated figures in Christianit ...

showing his

stigmata Stigmata ( grc, στίγματα, plural of , 'mark, spot, brand'), in Roman Catholicism, are bodily wounds, scars and pain which appear in locations corresponding to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus Christ: the hands, wrists, and feet. Stigm ...

on the reverse side. On the higher crosspiece and just below the depiction of the crucifixion are two horsed cavaliers, one on each side. One of these is

Saint Longinus Longinus () is the name given to the unnamed Roman soldier who pierced the side of Jesus with a lance and who in medieval and some modern Christian traditions is described as a convert to Christianity. His name first appeared in the apocryphal G ...

who raises a finger to his eye to remind the observer that he was cured by Jesus of blindness. On the reverse of the crucifixion there is a "Ecce Homo". As part of the crucifixion, four angels are depicted collecting the blood from Jesus' wounds into chalices, On the second crosspiece below are some back-to-back statues ("statues géminées") of the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...

and

John the Evangelist John the Evangelist ( grc-gre, Ἰωάννης, Iōánnēs; Aramaic: ܝܘܚܢܢ; Ge'ez: ዮሐንስ; ar, يوحنا الإنجيلي, la, Ioannes, he, יוחנן cop, ⲓⲱⲁⲛⲛⲏⲥ or ⲓⲱ̅ⲁ) is the name traditionally given t ...

, these on either side of a

pietà The Pietà (; meaning "pity", "compassion") is a subject in Christian art depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus after his body was removed from the cross. It is most often found in sculpture. The Pietà is a specific form o ...

("Notre Dame de Pitié" or "Vierge de Pitié") on one side and a depiction of the resurrected Jesus ("Christ ressuscité") on the other side, set between depictions of

St Peter ) (Simeon, Simon) , birth_date = , birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire , death_date = Between AD 64–68 , death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire , parents = John (or Jonah; Jona) , occupation ...

and

Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to crucifixion of Jesus, his cru ...

. The calvary was the work of a sculptor called Fayet who worked for the Henry and Bastien Prigent workshop between 1552 and 1563. Fayet is not attributed with the pedestal and it's bas-reliefs. Originally there were crosses bearing the good and bad robbers but what remains of them are now kept in the nearby church. The letters "I.N.R.I" are inscribed above the depiction of the crucifixion and there is also an inscription on the calvary reading The structure is 6 metres high. The Calvary was moved back to its original position to the south of the church after a temporary transfer to the cemetery in 1883. The Calvary suffered damage during a storm in 1987 and was reassembled in 1989. The Calvary was listed as a "Monument Historique" on 5 May 1930.

The bas-reliefs around the pedestal

The four bas-reliefs that are on the west face include a depiction of

St Veronica Saint Veronica, also known as Berenike, was a woman from Jerusalem who lived in the 1st century AD, according to extra-biblical Christian sacred tradition. A celebrated saint in many pious Christian countries, the 17th-century ''Acta Sanctorum' ...

with her veil which carries an image of Jesus' face and a depiction of the carrying of the cross. The bas-relief on the south face depicts

meeting with Jesus after his resurrection. The other two bas-reliefs depict the four Evangelists. The bas-reliefs were not the work of Fayet.

Notes

Note 1: Fayet is also credited with having executed the upper section of the calvary at Laz in 1563 and a statue of Jesus Christ at Coat-Nant in

Irvillac Irvillac (; ) is a commune in the Finistère department and administrative region of Brittany in north-western France. Population In French the inhabitants of Irvillac are known as ''Irvillacois''. See also *Communes of the Finistère depa ...

near the Notre-Dame de Lorette chapel.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Calvary at Loperec Calvaries from Brittany Buildings and structures in Finistère