Parish Closes of Leon

An enclos paroissial is a walled churchyard entered through a triumphal arch, holding the church, an ossuary and a calvary, a stone monument carved with figures of the Passion. They cluster in the Leon country of northern Finistere and were built mostly between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries when the linen trade made these villages rich, and they got steadily more elaborate because neighbouring parishes competed openly: Guimiliau's calvary carries around two hundred figures, and Saint-Thegonnec's is among the last and most theatrical. The figures wear the clothes of the period they were carved in rather than biblical dress.

What you actually see

• The calvaries - stone monuments crowded with Passion figures in period dress.
• The triumphal arches - ceremonial gateways into the walled churchyards.
• The ossuaries - bone houses beside the churches, some richly carved.
• The carved interiors - painted altarpieces and beams inside the churches.

When to go

April to October; the three principal closes at Saint-Thegonnec, Guimiliau and Lampaul-Guimiliau are close enough to see in a morning by car. Interiors close over lunch.

Honest expectations

A car is needed as the closes are spread across villages. Some interiors keep short hours and close at midday. A fire damaged Saint-Thegonnec's church in 1998 and restoration is visible.

Nearby

Morlaix lies northeast; the Monts d'Arree are south.