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Commune

Créhen Dinan Léhon Plumieux St Brieuc Tréguier

Créhen - Église-St-Pierre

Church is open. Park in small free car park nearby. Church is in St Peter's Place

This effigy is set in the floor at the end of the south transept behind the seating. It is difficult to find, let alone see and photograph. It appears to be a military effigy in low relief and now very worn. The list gives the date as 17th century but no reference. The low relief would suggest an early date but there are a number of these low relief effigies in Brittany of the 14th and 15th century, alongside those in the round. I have never discovered a cross legged effigy in France but perhaps the curious leg position is as near as we get!

DINAN

Park in one of the several modestly priced car parks

In the Town

This unknown knight is in a pedestrian street although mainly protected from the weather.

Chȃteau - Museum (No Longer Applicable)

Check on the website for current opening times which vary, as will the entrance fees. The museum is in the chȃteau; turn left after going through the main gate or ask the attendant to direct you to the gisants. These are in a basement and there are signposts once you reach the correct building, which is not the main keep. Be prepared to negotiate a steep stone spiral staircase. The floor of the basement is very uneven and can be partly flooded, so wear the correct shoes and be prepared to get you feet wet! However this is a fine collection so the journey is well worth it.

Note: these monuments are no longer in the château museum: they were moved because of their deterioration caused by the poor environment in the cellar. See below


Said to be Renée Madeuc de Quemadeuc, 2nd wife of Geoffroy le Voyer 14th century


Rolland de Dinan (?-1186) Abbey of Beaulieu, arrived here in 1848. Arms are: gules lozengy argent. Mid 13th century


Berthelot d'Ensoulevent, Lieutenant of Robert de Buitte Late 14th century

Above and right: Guillaume de Lesquen, Abbot of Beaulieu late 14th century

Below and left: : Geoffroy le Voyer (d. between 1346-1365), Baron of Trevenar, Chamberlain to Duke John III of Brittany. Priory of Saint-Georges de Trémeur; transferred to St Malo church in 1923, then to here in 1981. Identifying arms: argent three battle axes sable.


Unknown Knight & Lady: Low Relief

Unknown knight. Very Low Relief Church of the Jacobins, Dinan

Church of St Malo

Above and right top: Effigy in low relief

Above and left bottom: Similar but the effigy has been totally obliterated


Above top: Floor slab not yet identified; the slab to Monsignor Claude-Louis de Lesquen covers its left side somewhat. Above bottom and right: Slab and monument to Monsignor Claude-Louis de Lesquen Bishop of Beauvais and Rennes (1855)

	Basilica of St Sauveur

Déjà Vu?

Rolland de Dinan


	Above: Berthelot d'Angoulevent Right: Gaillaume de Lequen

If you think you've seen these effigies before, you will be right if you have scrolled down the page from the top. I noticed a part of an effigy on a photograph of the heart burial monument of Bertrand de Guesclin and decided to have a look to see what was there when we next visited Dinan; the original plan for the visit was to see the heart burial monument in Autumn 2021. There were three related monuments which I thought was in the styles of those in the Château museum, in the partly flooded cellar. 'In the style of' was incorrect': they were from the Château museum, having been moved between the time we visited there and out visit to this basilica. The remaining monument are now in the church of St Malo


A modern grave slab has been inserted into a medieval tomb arch. This inscription is to: Monsigneur Canon Jean Bolloch, pastor archpriest

The Heart Burial Monument of Bertrand du Guesclin

Bertrand de Guesclin (c. 1320-1380) was a leading French military commander during the early part of the Hundred Years' War, who was appointed Constable of France (Head of the Army) by King Charles V, a post normally held by a nobleman. He died of dysentry or hyperthermia following the seige of Châteauneuf-de-Randon, Lozère (former region,

Languedoc-Roussillon) on 4th July 1380 after the English, who had held the town surrendered.Before his death he had dictated his will stating that he wished to be buried in his native Brittany, in the Church of the Jacobins at Dinan, where his ancestors were interred.

Dinan is a long journey from Châteauneuf-de-Randon - a distance of a little over 500 miles - so it was essential, especially in the summer heat, to embalm the Constable's body. This was carried out at the Convent of the Jacobin, Le-Puy-en-Velay, Haut-Loire (Auvergn) were the viscera, including the brain, were removed, from the body. These organs were buried at the church of the Convent, St Laurent, where there was a funeral service on the 23rd July. A monument was constructed over the burial site, which may be seen today.

However, Olivier de Mauny, the former close companion of du Guesclin, with the funeral procession had already left Put-en-Velay, for, on the 18th July they arrived at Clermont-Ferrand, where it was found that the

Constable's body was beginning to decay despite the embalming. It was therefore decided to separate the soft tissues (the 'flesh') from the bony skeleton, so, at the Dominican Convent of Montferrand (a suburb of the city), the body was boiled in a cauldron to effect this process. The soft tissues were buried there with a second funeral service and then the procession continued on its way but now only carrying the Constable's bones and heart . It is not known if a monument were constructed over the site of the burial of the soft tissues at Montferrand as there appears appears to be no drawing or other record of such a construction, although it is likely.

The procession crossed the Loire at Angers and then letters arrived from the King requesting that du Guesclin's body be buried in the Basilica of St Denis at the foot of the tomb that King Charles had prepared for himself in the chapel of St John the Baptist, a rare honour. The King was to die two months after the Constable. The route to Brittany was abandoned and the procession headed towards the town of St Denis and its basilica, now a suburb of Paris. These monuments may be seen today.

The casket containing the Constable's heart continued on its journey to Dinan where it was buried, in the Church of the Jacobins, beneath a slab of granite painted black with an incised inscription in gold lettering. Below the inscription was the arms of the Du Guesclin family, below this a heart, and then below this the arms of Bertrand himself (top right), who belonged to a cadet branch of the Du Guesclin family. So only the heart of the Constable came to rest where he had wished his body to lie.

In 1890 the heart in its casket and the slab were transferred to the Church of St Saviour, also at Dinan. See photograph above left.

The inscription reads:

Here lies the heart of M. Bertrand Guaquin, in his lifetime Constable of France,
Who died the 13th day of July in the year 1380.
Whose body lies with those of the Kings in St Denis, France.

The inscribed slab dates from the 14th century, that is from the time of du Guesclin, but the vertical structure in which it is now set only from the 18th; the actual casket probably also dates from that latter time

More information may be found here


Top left: Unnamed. Top centre: Jacques Daniel (1909) Canon, archpriest, vicar-general. Right: Maclomis Braaem (?) (1873) Canon, vicar-general

	Léhon - Abbaye Saint-Magloire de Léhon
	Léhon is very close to Dinan and well worth a visit. There is a charge for entry to the museum, which is housed in the original monastic buildings, but not the church; there is no charge for photography. Free parking around the church. Excellent restaurant in the commune. The abbey is open in July and August every morning - except Sunday - 10.30 to 12.30; and every afternoon 14.30 to 18.30. There are guided tours all year for groups and students. It is advised to check website here. The identification of these monuments is somewhat speculative: there are several coats of arms and one inscription

Jean IV de Beaumanoir (1367) Lord of Beaumanoir and La Hardouinaye. Marshal of Brittany



Jehan III Beaumanoir (1366) Hero of Trente. Lord of Beaumanoir and La Hardouinaye. Stone

Jean V de Beaumanoir (1385) Lord of Beaumanoir and La Hardouinaye Assassinated by Rolland Moysan & Geoffroi Robin at the instigation of Pierre de Tourneune. Granite

Gervaise de Dinan (1239) wife of Jehel III de Mayenne, Geoffroy de Rohan and Richard le Maréchal. Stone

Marguerite d'Avaugour (1240) wife of Henri II d'Avaugour and mother of Alain II d'Avaugour. Limestone

Raoullin Pollo (1416) father of a prior of Léhon accoring to the inscription Granite.

Prior of Lehon 14th century Granite. Low relief except for the head which has been cemented into place. Is the latter a replacement?

Robert IV de Beaumanoir (1408) Lord of Beaumanoir and La Hardouinaye. Granite

	Plumieux - Église St Pierre
	The is plenty of free parking around the church and a car park with toilets behind the church itself (the north side). The main (south)entrance fronting onto the street is locked but the north door (in the car park) is unlocked. Dark interior.

	The List records there is a recumbent effigy of a XV century lady on a tomb chest, with arms and of granite. There was no such monuments in St Peter's Church at Plumieux but rather this poorly preserved incised slab with an inscription. Either there is another Plumieux with a church dedicated to St Peter or the list is incorrect.

Saint-Brieuc - Cathédrale Saint-Etienne
These photographs were taken several years ago and 'lost' somewhere on the computer system; they have only just been found. I no longer have the notes so some I cannot now identify many. The large majority are ecclesiastical monuments.


Above: Bishop Mgr Le Mee (1858) Right Top: Cenotaph of Saint William Pinchon (1234) He was buried in the Chapel of the Annunciation where the cenotaph was constructed in 1956. Note the reliquary attached to the wall behind the monument which contains a long bone of the Saint.		Above and left bottom: Bishop Mgr Martial (1861)


Above and right: Bishop Mgr Le Groing de la Romagère (1841) Next tight and far right: Bishop Mgr David (1882)


Bishop Mgr Bouché (1888)

Floor Slabs

Incised inscription, arms low relief	Knight, low relief, inscription & heraldry	Incised slab, arms and inscription only	Unidentified, low relief, no inscription	Incised, ecclesiastic, inscription
There are a number of floor slabs, mainly incised slabs but some in very low relief, or partly so. Several examples are shown above but, to avoid tedium, the others, not classified may be seen here.

Tomb Niches

	Bishop Mgr Pierre Jean Marie Kervennic (1991)
Some of these appear to have been reused after the destruction of the original tomb chests etc


Bishop Mgr Andreas Le Porc de la Porte (1632)		There still remains a worn incised slab of a bishop in this niche	Bishop Louis Frétat de Boissieux (1720)


		Above: Brother Francis (1633)

Plénée-Jugon - St Pierre

After our visits to the delightful towns of Ploërmel and Josselin, this was rather a depressing place to visit. There are reported two monuments in the church:
1. Armaury de la Moussaye (c. 1515) Coat of arms. Granite. First quarter of 16th century
2. A lady of de Moussaye. Granite. 15th - 16th centuries

The church was easy to find and there were a number of free parking places outside. However, although the church had about six doors, all were locked. Toilets nearby. Second visit produced the same effect and the nearby marie, who may have held a key, was closed that day.

	Tréguier Cathedral Tréguier is no longer the seat of a bishop, the bishopric having been abolished in 1801 when it was divided between the diocese of Quimper and Saint-Brieuc. Although it is strictly no longer a cathedral, the church is still refered to as Tréguier Cathedral.
	There are a number of effigies and slabs in the cathedral, both in the body of church and in the cloisters. There is no entrance fee and no charge for photography. As far as I can tell you may park in the square outside the cathedral at no charge.

The Church

Unknown Bishop
Unknown Knight
Unknown Knight
Jean de Lantillac (1461) Canon of Tréguier; Archdeacon of Plougustel
John, Duke of Brittany (1389-1442) The monument was constructed towards the end of the 19th century.


	Monument and effigy of St Yves Hélory de Kermatin (c. 1250-1340), priest of the diocese of Tréguier. The monument was constructed towards the end of the 19th century. His skull and parts of two long bones are preserved in a nearby glass case.

The Cloisters

These effigies, slabs, tablets and fragments (many of which may be from monuments) are generally in a poor and weather worn condition. Beaulieu Abbey was near the town of Dinan. The cathedral of Saint-Bieuc is in the area as are the communes of Yffinian and Lannebert. I have not yet located the Priory of St Pierre Marigon