The Le Tréhou Parish close (

Enclos paroissial Enclos Corp, referred to as Enclos, is a specialty glazing and exterior facade contractor in the United States. The firm provides design, engineering, fabrication and assembly services for custom curtainwall systems and structural glass facades. ...

) is located at

Le Tréhou Le Tréhou (; ) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France.Brest in

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

in north-western

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. 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 (or Saint Pithère or Saint Piterre) 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 The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

double-galleried bell tower. The

calvary Calvary ( or ) or Golgotha () was a site immediately outside Jerusalem's walls where, according to Christianity's four canonical gospels, Jesus was crucified. Since at least the early medieval period, it has been a destination for pilgrimage. ...

is a listed

historical monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...

since 1926. Calvaire

Statues

On a pedestal by the second column in the nave on the Evangelist side there is a 1527 Kersanton stone version of ''Ecce Homo,'' whilst in a corner of the

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

on the

Epistle side In the liturgical traditions of Western Christianity, the Epistle side is the term used to designate the side of a church on which the Epistle is read during a church service. It is the right-hand side of the chancel as viewed by the congregation ...

there is a wooden statue depicting Saint Pithère, one of many statues of the saint in the church. The friezes completing the decoration of the church's side porch date to 1610. Other statues include those of Saint Mélar, Saint Roch, Saint Sébastien and Saint Yves. There are also wooden statuettes of Saint Joseph, Saint Etienne, Saint Eloi and Saint Herbot.

The south porch

This dates to 1610. There are twelve niches in the porch with only five now having statues in them. Four depict the apostles. In the first niche on the left of the eastern side of the porch is a statue of

Saint Peter Saint Peter (born Shimon Bar Yonah; 1 BC – AD 64/68), also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the first leaders of the Jewish Christian#Jerusalem ekklēsia, e ...

. It is inscribed with the donor's name "ALAIN:BREST". In the third niche on the left of the eastern side of the porch is a statue of

John the Evangelist John the Evangelist ( – ) is the name traditionally given to the author of the Gospel of John. Christians have traditionally identified him with John the Apostle, John of Patmos, and John the Presbyter, although there is no consensus on how ...

, this inscribed "Y:M:A:F:F:C:I:". In the fifth niche on the left of the eastern side is a statue of

Andrew the Apostle Andrew the Apostle ( ; ; ; ) was an apostle of Jesus. According to the New Testament, he was a fisherman and one of the Apostles in the New Testament, Twelve Apostles chosen by Jesus. The title First-Called () used by the Eastern Orthodox Chu ...

inscribed "F:B:A:F:FD:" and finally on the west side in the third niche from the left is a depiction of

Thomas the Apostle Thomas the Apostle (; , meaning 'the Twin'), also known as Didymus ( 'twin'), was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Thomas is commonly known as "doubting Thomas" because he initially doubted the resurrection of ...

. The donor is not indicated. Then in the fifth niche on the left of the western side of the porch there is a statue of

Jesus Christ Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

(''Christ sauveur''). The inscription here is "G:B:A:F:C:I:" All are in Kersanton stone and all came from Roland Doré's workshop.

The "Rosary" altarpiece

The altarpiece in the Rosary Chapel has a painting in the centre depicting Christ and his mother handing the

rosary The Rosary (; , in the sense of "crown of roses" or "garland of roses"), formally known as the Psalter of Jesus and Mary (Latin: Psalterium Jesu et Mariae), also known as the Dominican Rosary (as distinct from other forms of rosary such as the ...

to Saint Dominic and Saint Catherine and a little higher up the same theme is depicted in stone, the statues being very large. Below, in the ''

antependium An ''antependium'' (from Latin ''ante-'' and ''pendēre'', "to hang before"; : ''antependia''), also known as a pulpit fall, parament or hanging, or, when speaking specifically of the hanging for the altar, an altar frontal (Latin: ''pallium al ...

'', there is a bas-relief depicting the

Annunciation The Annunciation (; ; also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation of Our Lady, or the Annunciation of the Lord; ) is, according to the Gospel of Luke, the announcement made by the archangel Gabriel to Ma ...

External decoration

The church has some interesting external decoration. Two examples are shown below. File:Le Tréhou (29) Église Sainte-Pitère 03.JPG, In this carving on the

chevet In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an '' exedra''. In Byzan ...

an angel holds a

phylactery Phylactery may refer to: * Amulet, an object believed to confer protection upon its possessor * Phylactery (''Dungeons & Dragons''), a ''Dungeons & Dragons'' element * Reliquary, a container for relics * Speech scroll, an illustrative device deno ...

File:Le Tréhou (29) Église Sainte-Pitère 02.JPG, One of the unusual gargoyles decorating the church. A cavalier draws his sword.

The Le Tréhou calvary

The calvary dates to 1578 and stands on a square block of yellowish Logonna stone which could have served as a table to receive offerings (''table d’offrande'') but a smaller square stands on it and carries bas-relief carvings depicting the apostles, each with his attribute. The cross rises from this smaller square, the shaft bearing the small nodules meant to simulate the bubons or boils which were a symptom of the bubonic plague. Such crosses were invariably erected to mark the end of an epidemic of this disease. In an unusual construction, the crosses of the two robbers crucified with Jesus are shown under the cross bearing Jesus. At the base of the cross there is a statue of

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 cr ...

who is on her knees praying and looking up to the crucified Jesus who hangs from his cross at the top of the shaft. Other statues include Saint Pitère, a ''pietà'' and Saint Peter. A demon hovers near the bad robber, waiting to take his soul to hell whilst an angel is near to the good robber who clearly can expect a more acceptable fate. Some photographs of the calvary are shown here. File:003 Le Tréhou Cavaire partie sommitale.JPG, View from the reverse side of the cross File:014 Le Tréhou Frise base du calvaire du placître.JPG, Three of the bas-reliefs depicting the apostles at the base of the cross File:Trehou Calvaire Kruzifix.jpg, Another view of the cross. We can see two small angels at Jesus' feet. They collect his blood in chalices. File:Trehou MagdalenaSockel.jpg, Mary Magdalene kneels in prayer at the base of the cross

The sablières

The sablières in the church include scenes from daily life as well as depictions of mythological creatures. In one scene geese are shown attacking a man's face.

The main altar

Depictions include

and

, these shown on either side of a

Christ in Majesty Christ in Majesty or Christ in Glory () is the Western Christian image of Christ seated on a throne as ruler of the world, always seen frontally in the centre of the composition, and often flanked by other sacred figures, whose membership change ...

. On either side of the central painting are large statues of the

Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

and

The baptistry

The

baptistry In Christian architecture the baptistery or baptistry (Old French ''baptisterie''; -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... ''baptisterie''; Latin ''baptist ...

is an elaborate Baroque work with four Corinthian columns. Over the font is a star-like structure (''une Gloire'') containing a triangle in which the name of God in Hebrew is inscribed, whilst to the rear there is a painting of John the Baptist baptizing Jesus. This is inscribed in Latin with words that translate as: "No one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit" (John 3:5).

The
chevet In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an '' exedra''. In Byzan ...

Many Bretons died fighting in Belgium in the 1914–1918 war, and to mark this the commune decided to send one of their calvaries, the Croaz Ty Ru cross, to Maissin in Belgium where it stands in the war cemetery. The 19th French Infantry had fought in this area on the Western Front. See photographs below. File:010 Le Tréhou Plaque commémorative Croas Ty Ru.JPG, The plaque on the chevet File:Cimetière militaire franco-allemand Maissin 2011 b.jpg, The Croaz Ty Ru cross in the Belgian cemetery

Other images

File:Le Tréhou (29) Église Sainte-Pitère 13.JPG, Carving on the south porch wall File:001 Le Tréhou Eglise paroissiale.JPG, View of church showing south porch

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trehou 1555 establishments in France Churches in Finistère Calvaries in Brittany Parish closes in Brittany