Merlevenez - Notre-Dame-de-Joie

The Knights Templar founded a convent here with chapel dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene. Parts of this chapel may have been "incorporated" into Notre-Dame-de-Joie.

Most of the nave, the transept and the apse date back to the 12th century. The many capitals seen here are very delicately carved, what is pretty unusual for Brittany. Some art historians see influences from Poitou-Charente.

Often Catherine of Alexandria holds a wheel, sometimes she is even named "Saint Catherine of the Wheel". Catherine was sentenced to death on the breaking wheel, but, at her touch, this wheel was miraculously destroyed.

As the wheel here is intact, the person seen cannot be Saint Catherine. Maybe this is apostle Simon the Zealot, as there is a saw as well. As Simon was martyred by being sawn in half, a saw can often be seen as his identifying attribute.