In Brittany, a newly restored chapel destroyed by violent winds

Tiles litter the floor. Higher up, the roof of the Notre-Dame-du-Yaudet chapel in Ploulec’h in Côtes-d’Armor is decomposed: a gaping hole in the roof and the framework exposes the building. On November 2, 2023, the gusts of wind from storm Ciaran seriously damaged this small church which dominates the Cove of the Virgin, at the end of the Léguer river.

A call for donations necessary

The Heritage Foundation has therefore launched an appeal for donations to support its restoration. According to the mayor of the town of 1,500 inhabitants, Sylvain Camus, quoted by the daily West France, “a few tens of thousands of euros” will be necessary. In just a few days, 5,540 euros had already been collected on the Heritage Foundation website.

After the amazement and desolation, the urgency is now to save: rainwater risks infiltrating the building. Firstly, the major altarpiece, called Altarpiece of the Reclining Virgin, classified as a historic monument as a movable object, has been sheltered. This representation of the Virgin lying on a bed of lace is particularly rare and was to benefit from a restoration estimated at 400,000 euros, even before the storm.

Secondly, the tarpaulin and installation of wood to maintain the roof should begin this Friday, November 17. Once sheltered, the chapel will be the subject of a public consultation with the aim of rehabilitating the building.

A historic chapel

A well-known place of pilgrimage in Trégor, the chapel hosts a pardon every year. Built in the 11th century on the ruins of a Roman temple, it had already been reconstructed in the 19th century. The damage caused by the storm aroused great emotion among the locals, testimony to a real attachment to the building. Subsequently, the mayor announced that he would like to submit a request for classification as a historic monument for the entire building.