Enclos paroissial de Ploudiry

Please note: the church is currently undergoing renovation and is closed to the public.

Now a small rural village, the parish of Ploudiry was, until the Revolution, the largest and one of the wealthiest in the Léon region (80 km²).

The parish churchyard, impressive in its size, was continually embellished during this period of economic prosperity, when religious fervour led to the construction of one of the finest architectural ensembles in the Léon region.

The ossuary (1635, rebuilt in 1731), a listed historic monument, served to house the bones previously buried in the church. The faithful could then sprinkle them with holy water through the niches (which had no windows at the time). The angel on the holy water font (1635) bears the inscription: ‘Good folk who pass this way, pray to God for the departed’. As elsewhere, at a time when epidemics were raging, death was very much on people’s minds. The frieze on the ossuary depicts figures of various social standing, all equal in the face of death (personified by the Ankou). This legendary figure from Breton folklore can be found in many parish churchyards across the region.

Also worth noting: the permanent exhibition inside the ossuary, ‘A fibre, men, an art, a faith’.

The south porch of the church (1685) is striking for its magnificence, the finesse of its carvings and the originality of its decoration.
The interior of the church (rebuilt in 1700, with the bell tower added in 1854) showcases magnificent works, such as the altarpieces and the pulpit.

Nearby: Saint-Antoine fountain and chapel.

Guided tours are available through the APEVE association (booking required).