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THE SAINTE-ANNE CHAPEL

In the photo, notice the spire of the original bell tower. It was replaced in 1929 by the current bell tower.

From the 13th century a small place of prayer existed in the heart of Portrieux. Then in the 15th century a chapel was built. In 1643 an oratory dedicated to Saint-Clement, patron saint of sailors, was built there.

From 1726 the construction of the first masonry pier at Portrieux made the port even more active. The first chapel became too small, the parish general (parish council responsible for material elements) decided in 1770 to build a larger chapel dedicated to Saint Anne. The funds are collected as “common fees”. Shipowners, sailors, women, children, everyone contributes in their own way, going so far as to transport stones and help make mortar. The structural work is entrusted to a local contractor. The new chapel was completed in 1775. It measures 18.4×7.15 meters with an interior height of 6.20 meters

At the Revolution, having become national property, it was sold to an individual. In 1836 the parishioners managed to buy it and its furniture thanks to a subscription. This chapel, now a communal property, will therefore have been financed twice by its parishioners! A very complete interior restoration took place between 2000 and 2023. The chapel now regularly hosts concerts.

Chapelle Sainte-Anne Saint-Quay-Portrieux

CHAPEL FURNITURE

The altar and the canopy
Furniture and interior decoration were largely financed by the fishermen themselves. In Portrieux, cod caught in Newfoundland or Iceland on Sundays and non-working holidays were preserved in barrels of blessed salt before departure. It was “God’s portion”. The proceeds from their sale upon returning from the campaign were allocated to the decoration and maintenance of the chapel.

Chapelle Sainte-Anne Saint-Quay-Portrieux

The altar was sculpted in Marseille with polychrome marble brought from the holds of ships returning from Italy where the sale of fishing took place at the end of the Newfoundland campaign. It is surmounted by a scalloped wooden canopy, the tabernacle is framed by two putti.

The recently restored wooden boat hull ceiling is decorated with stars above the altar. It is said that each star symbolizes a missing sailor…

The statue of St Clement
In the first chapel, an oratory was dedicated to Saint Clement, patron saint of sailors. Pope Clement I is believed to have lived in the 1st century CE and was the 3rd bishop of Rome. Persecuted and thrown into the sea with an anchor around his neck, he is venerated as a saint and martyr.

The statue of St. Anne
In Christian tradition, Saint Anne is the wife of Saint Joachim and mother of the Virgin Mary. This statue is carried in procession during the pardon on July 26. Saint Anne seems to protect her daughter, the Virgin Mary. She is dressed in a blue velvet coat richly embroidered by Julia Guyomar, a Quinocean embroiderer.

The altarpiece by Philippe Matorzec

L’éducation de la Vierge – Philippe Matozrec – 1777

In 1777 the parish ordered an altarpiece from the painter Philippe Matozrec (1726-1801), born and died in Saint-Quay-Portrieux, – a painting placed behind the altar. The theme is “Education of the Virgin”. We see Saint Anne and her husband Saint Joachim teaching their daughter, Mary, to read. In the background of this painting, we discover the only representation known to date of the first Portrieux pier built between 1726 and 1757. It was the first masonry pier in the bay of Saint-Brieuc. It was destroyed and later replaced by the current pier. On the painting, the port is active, we can see a shipyard on the shore and in the distance ships seem to be gathering, perhaps for departure to Newfoundland. The Ste Anne d’Auray museum preserves a number of paintings by Philippe Matozrec, most of them ex-votos.