The Mespaul loop

The parish enclosures that stand in the Elorn valley and on its southern slope are the highlights of Christian belief in Brittany. The enclosure, a space located around the church, is surrounded by a more or less high wall. The openings are blocked by a flat stone set on edge to prevent the entry of cattle and to mark the passage from the profane to the sacred. The triumphal arch is supported by two or four pillars; it is the triumphal gate, a mandatory passage for processions (birth, marriage, burial). Inside, the most important monument is an imposing calvary. It depicts, in a series of high relief panels, the most sacred elements of the Catholic religion: the Nativity, the Passion, and the Resurrection of Christ. It is topped by Christ on the cross accompanied by the two thieves. The calvaries of Léon benefited from the prosperity of the cloth merchants who, in the 16th century, by financing them, proudly demonstrated their faith and its triumph. The enclosure also generally includes an ossuary, located in the placître (the enclosed space around the church), to the right or left of the building. Until the 17th century, the custom was to bury all the deceased inside the church. When space ran out, graves were opened and the bones transferred to the ossuary, where they were simply piled up.