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.

200 years later, the church got altered and the small lantern tower got replaced by an octagonal crossing tower. The steeple collapsed and got rebuilt in 1533. In 1944 the church got heavily shelled - and the spire had to be rebuilt a second time after WW2.

I had visited Merlevenez some years ago and already uploaded photos. As I was impressed by this church I returned now, took lots of photos, but will upload only a few.

Here is one of the many capitals. To the right an evail "man-eater", to the right martyr Saint Lawrence, placed on a gridiron, with coals beneath it. He is the patron saint for chefs and cooks, as legend tells, that after a while he told the torturer "I'm well done now. Turn me over."