20. Brittany Region (3/5)
With Saint Colomban, the route offers the opportunity to discover Brittany in all its diversity.This third part (3/5) offers 14 stages of an average daily distance of 24km:
Locminé - Brandivy
Brandivy - Ste-Anne-d'Auray
Ste-Anne-d'Auray - La Trinité sur Mer
La Trinité sur Mer - Erdeven
Erdeven - Plouhinec
Plouhinec - Hennebont
Hennebont - Redene
Redene - Bannalec
Bannalec - La Trinité - Melgven
La Trinité - Melgven - Quimper
Quimper - Locronan
Locronan - Ste-Anne-la-Palud
Ste-Anne-la-Palud - Telgruc-sur-Mer
Telgruc-sur-Mer - Camaret-sur-Mer

Port and ria d'Etel
The "Barre d'Etel" is a sandbox in perpetual movement under the influence of winds and tidal currents. It can generate breakers or ground waves. At low tide, it can complicate the entry or exit of the ria. It is for this reason that on the right bank of the mouth, a semaphore indicates its position by signals. It is in a café of Etel that the German garrison withdrawn in the pocket of Lorient laid down arms on May 10, 1945. Numerous oyster farms are located on the banks of the ria. Upstream of Pont Lorois, St Cado Island is connected to the coast by a stone bridge. This one was built by the devil in exchange for the soul of the first person to cross it. It was a cat... It shelters a 12th century chapel and a fountain.

Mane Vachem
Archaeological remains of a Roman villa situated on a promontory overlooking the ria d'Etel. This "pleasure villa" was founded at the end of the 2nd century AD. By a member of the local aristocracy, was a trading centre linked to maritime trade and the production of fish salting.

The fountain of St Cornély
Located in a natural setting, not far from the village of Magouëro, this granite fountain is characteristic of the 18th century. In the neighbouring village of Kerprat, you will find the chapel of St Cornély. Rebuilt in 1768 in a rectangular shape with a bell tower dominating the façade, on the site of an old building. A small covered porch was built to the south, facing the cross where the horned beasts were blessed during a pardon (pardon on the 2nd Sunday of September). It is used as a setting for exhibitions during the summer.

Pont du Bonhomme
Before the current bridge was built, the crossing of the Blavet River was done by means of a suspension bridge. Built in 1903, it was in service until 1974. The bridge deck was demolished in the early 1980s. Only the stone piers remain. The name of this bridge comes from the name of a rock located on the Kervignac side (the "roch ar boulom"). Two statues initially in polychrome oak are placed at the top of the piles: a Breton woman on one pile holds a snuffbox out to a Breton man on the other. They were replaced by casts in 1995. From the bridge, we have a view of the bay of Lorient.

Kerhervy Boat Graveyard
In the Blavet de Kerhervy cove, in front of the ship cemetery, an outdoor theatre has been built. A theatre festival takes place there every year.

Basilica ND of Paradise
The construction of the Church of Our Lady of Paradise began in 1514. The church is in flamboyant gothic style and is characterised by its bell tower. It was raised to the rank of minor basilica in 1913. The inhabitants have a particular devotion to the Virgin Mary following the vow of 1699. An epidemic ravaged the region. They promised a silver statue that would be carried in procession every year. The town was spared. The statue was created in 1700. Cast in 1792, it was replaced in 1818 by a silver bronze statue. Hennebont still preserves its old fortifications. In 1857, the national stud farms moved to the site of the abbey La Joie Notre Dame.

Pont-Scorff
The ruins of the convent of the Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem, established on an ancient Roman road, remain at the Lower Scorff Bridge, near the river. The bridge St John existed in medieval times. The chaplaincy and the chapel are attested in 1160. In the 12th and 12th centuries, Pont-Scorff was already the seat of a powerful jurisdiction that depended on the Duke of Brittany. Its built heritage remains important. Today it is a village of craftsmen.

Village of Lesbin: Chapel and Calvary
The St Aubin chapel in the village of Lesbin was once the seat of the parish of Pont-scorff. Built in 1610 following the League wars and modified in 1747, the Lesbin chapel, dedicated to Saint Aubin, was the parish church of Pont-Scorff until 1790. There are polychrome statues, the Way of the Cross and ex-voto hanging from the ceilings. The choir has important liturgical furnishings. The ensemble is restored and maintained by the association for the protection of the chapels. It is surrounded by a cemetery, containing a calvary sculpted by René Quillevic and a tombstone dating from 1557.

St Colomban Church of Quimperlé
Attested at least since the 11th century, the church of St Colomban was the former parish church of the Lower Town. The only remains currently in place, the west façade and part of the north elevation of the former choir, bear the traces of several construction periods. Abandoned since 1792 in favour of the Sainte-Croix church, which became the parish capital, the building quickly fell into ruins. The new parish of St Colomban was created on 01 September 2017. It is composed of the former parishes of Nizon, Pont-Aven, Névez, Riec-sur-Bélon, Moëlan-sur-Mer, Clohars-Carnoët, Bannalec, Saint-Thurien, Scaër, Baye, Mellac, Le Trévoux, Quimperlé, Arzano, Guilligomarc'h, Rédéné, Trémeven, Locunolé and Querrien grouped into three local Christian communities.

Chapel of La Madeleine
The chapel of the Madeleine was once used as a leprosarium for the city of Quimperlé. It was built in the 15th century. It is located on the historic Tro Breiz path.

Chapel and fountain of Trébalay
Chapelle dédiée à Ste Triphine (mère de St Trémeur, décapité par son père et toujours représenté portant sa tête entre ses mains)
Cette chapelle date du XVIème et XVIIème siècle.
Elle tombe en ruine à partir de 1943. Ce n'est qu'après l'ouragan de 1987 qui détruit la flèche, qu'une association décide de sa reconstruction. Celle-ci se termine en 2008.

Wayside cross and chapel of Moustoir
15th and 16th century chapel dedicated to St Maurice located on the historic Tro Breiz.

Trinity Chapel
An important stage on the way to the historic Tro Breiz, this chapel was built in the 16th century. It was restored in 1756 and 1856. It was classified as a historical monument in 1915.

Chapel of Coat an Poudou
This chapel of Coat an Poudou (Melgven), will ask you for a little detour. "Coat an Poudou" means "Wood of the potteries" because of the shards of pottery that were found in the fields. The chapel was built in granite between the 15th and 17th century. First dedicated to St Cado, it was later dedicated to Our Lady. On its placister is a calvary. The chapel was classified in 1949.

Locmaria Hent
In this village there is a chapel built between the 15th and 16th century. It is classified as a historical monument. Its location on the historic Tro Breiz means that it has a chimney that used to be used by pilgrims for heating. In front of the chapel, there is a Gothic ossuary.

Lying Menhir Stang ar besk
Of all the megaliths you will see on the "Tro Breizh of Colomban" this one will be among the least impressive. Luckily it is indicated!

Quimper
Being the seat of St Corentin, one of the seven founding saints of Brittany, Quimper is one of the crossing points of the historic Tro Breiz. In Gothic style, the present cathedral was built in the 12th century on the basis of older buildings. Between its two towers, the statue of the legendary king Gradlon dominates the city. The district of Locmaria is the place of the primitive city. Known today by its earthenware, it was from the 9th century the site of a double monastery. The current Romanesque church, classified as a historical monument, dates from the 11th century. The cloister remains in the garden. In the past, there would have been a chapel dedicated to St Colomban (or St Koulm?).

Seznec Chapel
It is a modestly sized building built in 1673 (stone engraved above the side door), probably on the site of an older building, corresponding to the Christianisation of a Celtic place dedicated to the goddess of fertility as suggested by the presence of a nursing virgin.The placister includes a very beautiful calvary with granite statues of Kersanton. To know more about it...

St Thélau Chapel
Large 16th century chapel, built on a former Celtic place of worship and listed in 1914.St Thélau (or Thélo) would be a saint "à la mode de Bretagne". Some see in him, as in St Edern, a Celtic god christiannised. On the Calvary of the 16th century, near the chapel, St Thélau is, as always, represented on a stag next to the Virgin, St Peter and St John.

Ar Sonj Chapel
From this chapel "Ar sonj", (chapel of remembrance), located at the top of the mountain of Locronan (Plas ar Horn - altitude 289m anyway - highest point of the Black Mountains), you will have a magnificent view over the bay of Douarnenez. The pulpit to be preached located at the entrance of the cupboard dates from 1887. The chapel was built in 1911. Considered too high, exposed to winds and lightning, it will be demolished in 1977 and replaced by the present chapel.It is a crossing point of the Small and Large Tromenies.

Locronan
From the 14th century onwards, the cultivation of hemp, its weaving and the sale of the canvases brought great prosperity to Locronan. This can be seen in the built heritage.The village of Locronan was preserved very early. It is now a member of the network of "small towns of character". Locronan is also labelled "most beautiful village in France". The village has been used as a setting for many film shoots.The main square is dominated by the church of St Renan and the "Penity", a chapel which houses the tomb of St Renan.Together with the Troménies, Locronan is one of the most important places of pilgrimage in Brittany.The "Petite Troménie" takes place every year. Its 6km long route largely follows the roads and paths.The big Troménie takes place every 6 years. The next one will take place in 2019. Its route crosses private properties and cultivated fields. It would symbolize the tour of the lands of the monastery of St Renan. It includes 12 stations formerly materialized by calvaries.

ND Chapel of Good News
This chapel is the fifth station of the Grande Troménie. Near the chapel is the fountain dedicated to St. Eutrope. The chapel was classified as a historical monument in 1915, the fountain and the adjoining Calvary in 1926. It has contemporary stained glass windows by Alfred Manessier (1985).

Fountain St Germain de Kerlaz
Fountain dated 1639 and dedicated to St Germain l'Auxérois. It is the only one in the region to have three ablutions basins in which people washed themselves and where animals came to drink.

Jean-Marie Le Bris
Shortly before arriving at Ste Anne la Palud, a monument is erected in honour of Jean Marie Le Bris. He was born in 1817 in Concarneau and lived in Douarnenez. An experienced sailor, he is also a pioneer of aviation. Legend has it that he took off in 1856 in a "winged boat" - the Albatros - pulled by a galloping horse on the beach of Ste Anne la Palud, thus making the first manned flight of a heavier-than-air craft.

Ste Anne la Palud
The pardon of St Anne la Palud is one of the most important in Brittany and takes place every year in the month of July. The chapel of Ste Anne la Palud was built in the middle of the XIXth century. The memory of the old sanctuary, which was located in the marshes (palud in Breton) behind the coast, is recalled by the path "hent santez Anna gollet" (disappeared path of Ste Anne). The statue of Ste Anne sitting next to her daughter Marie was crowned at the pardon of 1913. St. Anne is called "Mamm gozh ar vretonned" or "the grandmother of the Bretons".

Crozon Geological Site
The peninsula is made up of sedimentary terrain consisting mainly of cliffs on the seafront, the protected sites form an easy-to-read geological archive. There are stratigraphic series or sections (Ordovician and Silurian, Devonian), wrinkled and megarid slabs, folds or series of folds, basaltic flows resulting from ancient volcanism, fossilized scree, coastal spits... The whole protected territory represents 156 ha and is classified as a Remarkable Area of Brittany. You will regularly find explanatory panels along the trail. To know more about it...

Rozan lime kiln
There are about ten lime kilns on the Crozon peninsula where limestone deposits have been exploited since Gallo-Roman times. The lime kiln of Rozan was built in 1839 on an ideal site: it is close to the limestone quarries and it is possible to export the lime by sea. The kiln was destroyed by a storm in 1872.

St Julian's Oratory
The Saint-Julien Chapel dates from the 17th century and served as a refuge for the refractory clergy during the Revolution. It was then used as a guardhouse and lost its bell. It was restored in 1805. It is now open once a year at the time of the pardon of Saint-Julien (St Sulien, a Breton saint of the 6th century) on the first Sunday of May. It is preceded by a granite cross from the High Middle Ages.