Le Gorvello: Page 2

Returning from the Crusades, the Lords of Largoët, who had helped to found the Order of the Knights of Malta, acquired even more domain in Brittany. They dedicated their charitable work and constructions to their patron saint, St. John the Baptist. In 1160, Duke Conan IV reports on the dedication of the "aumonerie " at Le Gorvello caring for the ill, the destitute and lepers. In 1312, when the Templars were dissolved, the parish fell under the fiefdom of the bishop of Vannes. Judging from accounts that have survived to this day, the construction of the village church lasted at least a century. The carpenter who placed the beams inscribed his name, Thebault, and the year of his work, 1523. The chapel on the northeast side is dated 1547 and the porch 1560. The first records indicating the completion of the village church date to 1624.

Le Gorvello > One Village -- Two Communes: The Feud

By most estimates, the village has been the site of human habitation for more than two thousand years. Like in much of Brittany, the earliest traces of human habitation date to the Neolithic period. Records left by one of the first Christian missionaries to visit the region, Abbot Le Mené, report that two megaliths—one ten and the other fifteen feet tall—once stood proudly among the gnarly oak trees and testified to Gorvello's pre-Celtic settlement. Today, the chapel of St. Roch, at the north end of the village next to the cemetary, stands where the ancient pagan altars of Le Gorvello are thought to have been.

Before the Crusades, the village of Le Gorvello, like most of the surrounding region, belonged to the Lords of Largoët, who exploited the surrounding region for its iron. It is to this phenomenon that Le Gorvello is thought to owe its name. The Breton name for the village "Er Gorvelleu" is thought to be derived from "Koveleu": The Forges.

Immediately following the Revolution, in the year 1790, France was organized into 83 "départements", which themselves were subdivided into "cantons" and "communes". At this point in time, Theix and Sulniac, Le Gorvello's biggest neighboring towns were attributed communes of their own. However, the landmark chosen to separate one neighboring commune from the other was none other than the stream that runs straight through the middle of Le Gorvello! However real the administrative division between communes is, Gorvello Café, with its garden and terrace located in Sulniac and its bar situated in Theix, is the perfect example of how the village works around such artificial boundaries.

Le Gorvello > What's in a name?

The chapel of St. Roch stands on the outskirts of the village next to the cemetery.

Recent restorations have revealed particularly interesting frescos behind the altar, artistically carved beams, as well as two low windows in the western wall next to the door. Because the earliest "aumonerie" at le Gorvello served as hospice to the plagued and leprous, it is believed that these windows served to allow the ill to partake in religious services and still remain separated from the other healthy parishioners.

Outside the chapel, stands a 15-foot stone cross, carved from one of the prehistoric megaliths that stood on the site.

Le Gorvello > Pagan Past

Le Gorvello > The Templars

Le Gorvello > The Chapel of St. Roch

Le Gorvello > Today

Over the centuries, the fountain's Renaissance style (the form of a small Roman temple) has proved as attractive as it is curious.

A flat table supported by rustic cylindrical pillars, it is topped by a simple cross flanked by three sculpted frontons. This "roof" covers not only the water source, but also the niche in which St. John the Baptist stands overlooking the source

Le Gorvello > The Parish Church

Judging from the eclectic architecture, stone masonry and methods of construction, there is little doubt that the parish church at Le Gorvello was renovated and expanded several times over the course of the centuries. Built upon the walls of the first primitive chapel, which was constructed by the "Hosptalier de Jerusalem" monks, the current edifice is remarkable in many ways. Of particular note are:
•	the decorated porch, added in 1560, covering the north door (Most churches in Brittany, probably for climatic reasons, have porches opening to the south.)
•	the western wall, with its gargoyles, sculpted ornate contreforts, capped by a rectangular belfry
•	the stained glass windows, carvings and sculptures (inside the church) of St Cornély and St Isadore

Le Gorvello > The Fountain

Throughout the 19th century Le Gorvello was a bustling rural village. By the beginning of the 20th century the population had grown to nearly 500 and flourished thanks to its social pillars: the church, the school and several cafés. After suffering from the rural exodus of the 1960's and 70's when its population dropped to barely 200, the village is today working to rekindle its past vivacity without losing its charm and authenticity.

As the village's only commercial establishment for many years, Gorvello Café has remained a welcoming place for people of all generations. We are proud to support burgeoning artistic and musical talent, local produce and crafts.

The Fountain

The Chapel of St. Roch

The Parish Church

Today

Pagan Past

One village --Two Communes: The feud

The Templars

What's in a Name?

Gorvello Café • 41, rue des Ducs de Bretagne • Le Gorvello • 56450 Theix Tel/Fax 02-97-43-00-71 • gorvello.cafe@wanadoo.fr