roche-maurice

The Castle of the Roche-Maurice
"the Castle of the Roche-Maurice was a true castle of burgrave, a nest of vultures on the top of a mount" Thus Gustave Flaubert described the fortress of Roc' H Morvan in his work " Par les champs et par les grèves ". Roche Maurice inspired a lot of painters and writers in the last century. The first known mention of the castle goes back to 1263. II was one of the principal residences of the Viscounts of Leon until 1363, date of the extinction of the line. The fortress occupied a central position which made it possible to these lords to manage the whole of their strongholds and more particularly important the lordship of Landerneau that is rich of thirty parishes and Trier. Roche-Maurice was also, until the XVth century, a seat of the jurisdiction of Sizun-Ploudiry which included low, average and high justice. Some sinister pitchforks stood facing the castle, on a hill of the right strand of the Elorn. A brook, on the foot of this hill recalls that: the justiçou. . The castle of Rocche became a possession of the family of Rohan in 1363, by the marriage of Jeanne. de Léon with Jean de Rohan. Until the XVth century the Viscounts of Rohan usually reside at it. They enlarge the castle arund 1421, but since the end of the XVth century the fortress is dilapidated. In 1678, it was transformed in jail, until 1694. In 1695, a document given to the king reveals the bad condition of the castles of Roche. In the 18th and 19th century, the castle is used as quarry , and many houses of the borough and perhaps the current church were built with these stones. Today the castle Roc' H Morvan remains very visited. From the platform of the dungeon, a splendid panorama extends to the mouth of Elorn.

An exceptional religious inheritance
The Church
It is remarkable by its lightness and the perfect chiselling of its gate, the beauty of its bell-tower, as well as the rich stained glass which clarifies the chorus: The construction of the building lasted up to a half century: the stained glass of the apse goes back to 1539,and the southern gate to 1589.
The Stained glass
It represents in 21 paintings the scenes of the Passion of Christ. This stained glass is entirely preserved and did not lose anything of the first vivacity of its colors. It is exceptional by its surface, 21,05 m2 and its dimensions: 6,90 m in height and 3,5 m broad!
The decorative chancel
The decorative chancel of Roche counts among the most beautiful of Brittany. Delicately worked, in polychrome oak, it was carried out around1570-1580. It is presented as a bridge connecting the 2 large piles which delimited the chorus.
The Ossuary
It has the style of "Léonarde Renaissance", and dates back to 1639. II is original by its harmonious architecture and its Latin inscriptions illustrated by a "macabre dance" representing the various social classes of the XVII th century, all tributaries of death, Ankou, that was holding up a dart, proclaims "I kill all of you".
"Let us greet the bell-tower with double gallery and with double bell chamber of the most perfect type and the most decorated bell-towers of second order in Léon"says Antoine FAVE "Around an excursion " 1899 .

Inheritance and the sites of the Roche
Roche-Maurice, city of stones and Water and a green commune by excellence, offers to you the calmness of its paths and its brooks: the stroll along Morbic will make you benefit from its calmness and the freshness of its underwoods animated by the murmur of the brook which calls for the daydream... unless a trout leaping out of water takes you out of your quietude...

By carrying on your way....
Discover this remarkable site of Pont-Christ. This old truce of the parish of Ploudiry had developed along an old Gallic track, crossing Horn by a Gothic bridge which connected , Plounêventer to Martyre. The owners of the places were the marquises of Brézal. In 1533, they made build the ND de Bon Secours vault. The building was burned in the XIXth century in mysterious circumstances.Cette truce was attached to the Rock-Maurice N September 1791. This vault, today half ruined, encourages you to make a halt along the banks of Florn, on the road which carries out towards Landivisiau...
Cross the river by the small bridge and discover this picturesque site which makes the admiration of the visitors today. Each year, on August 15 the forgiveness is celebrated in the ruins of the vault.