Locronan – The Most Beautiful Town in France

Locronan in Brittany simply overflows with charm and is one of the most beautiful villages in France. In fact it's been titled the 'Most Beautiful Town in France'.

Locronan - the Most Beautiful Town in France

Locronan is situated only five kilometres from the bright blue Baie de Dourarnenez on the craggy Côte de Cornouaille. The most accessible ferry port is at Roscoff where Brittany Ferries regularly operate from. It’s an easy two hour drive by car from Roscoff to Locronan, and with its narrow streets lined with stunning bright hydrangea bushes and colourful flowering window boxes, this village well deserves its Petites Cités de Caractère (Small Town of Character) status.

As well as having earned the Small Town of Character award, it is also included in the official list of The Most Beautiful Towns in France. With so much praise for one town, I had to visit Locronan for myself. Taking myself off to Locronan, it was an hour and a half drive, and then an easy park in the visitor's carpark at the bottom of the hill and a short walk up the hill along cobbled rue du Prieuré. And, it really is stunningly beautiful and it's not difficult to see why the town has been the backdrop for more than thirty films, many of them period pieces. Here's what you can see and do in adorable Locronan. 

The History of Locronan - the Most Beautiful Town in France

Way back when the site was only a tiny village of around 800 inhabitants, it was a sacred Celtic site, or nemeton. That was until the 7th century and the arrival of an Irish saint named Saint Ronan. Saint Ronan gave the tiny village his name and went about spreading Christianity and simultaneously banishing the druids. Ronan set up a hermitage which survived for an incredible 300 years.

A hermitage can be two things: in early Christianity, a hermitage was a place where religious men lived on their own to escape the temptations of the world. -  National Trust

Hermitages were created by religious men (hermits – from er­ēmos, Greek for wilderness) in the days of early Christianity as a way of escaping the material world, which they believed to be full of temptation. They lived on their own and in very strict self-discipline (asceticism) on the edges of the civilised world. - National Trust

After about 300 years, the hermitage was destroyed by the Normans and Locronan was pretty much forgotten about until four centuries later when the growth of the sailcloth weaving industry began to "flourish as ships set off to explore the New World". - Hervé Le Bihan, Musée d'Art et d'Histoire

At the peak of the weaving industry (in the mid-18th century) there were 240 weavers in Locronan. This is the time that the grande (large) granite town houses around the sublime cobbled Place de l'Église were built as homes and offices for weaving and shipping companies, and lawyers and officers from the merchant East India Company. This story is similar to the towns of Guingamp and Châtelaudren. The cloth from Locronan was even sold cloth to the Spanish Armada to fight the British.

This affluent period in the mid-18^th century was when the majority of Locronan’s architecture was built. One of the best spots to view the impressively preserved buildings from the 16^th to 18^th century is at the cobbled Place de l’Eglise. Here you’ll see the houses and offices of the weaving and shipping companies, and the lawyers and officers from the merchant East India Company.  

Many of the town’s monuments and notable buildings were built on the wealth collected from weaving. The tall 15^th century church l’Eglise Saint-Ronan and the attached 16^th century Chapelle du Pénity, in Place d’Église are wonderful examples of this.

While at Locronan, you may be fortunate to see weaving on ancient looms in progress. Head into the workshop of Hervé Le Bihan (see above) and see if he is weaving. Even if he's not, his loom is on display together with cloth for sale. 

Église Saint-Ronan

Église Saint-Ronan dominates the town with its height and attached 16^th century Chapelle du Pénity. Built in the shape of a cathedral due to the donations of the Dukes of Brittany, the flamboyant Gothic church was built from 1424 to 1480. The lace stonework of the church looks particularly pretty when the sky is deep blue and cloudless.

Saint Ronan was an Irish saint and if you visit the church I recommend you take a look at the series of painted medallions which line the pulpit area. They tell the story in pictures of how the Saint was falsely accused and condemned by a local Celtic witch for killing her daughter.

What to look out for at Église Saint-Ronan

1. The pulpit. Made in 1707 by Louis Barlou who was a carpenter from Quimper, it's a masterpiece in intricate woodwork. Along the pulpit you'll find the painted medallions mentioned above. The details of the medallions depicting the life of Saint Ronan is surprising. The pulpit was restored in 2004.

2. Treasures of Saint Ronan. Not on usual display is the hand bell of Saint Ronan, Chalice and Paten XVth and Holy Oils (Orceau) and Baptismal shell.

3. Rosary Altarpiece. Built in the 17th century and restored in 2018 you'll find it on the north side of the church. It was created by a sculptor from Landerneau and also has medallions on it. The 15 medallions represent the joyous, painful and glorious mysteries of the life of the Virgin Mary.  Something unique in the whole of Brittany that this church possess is the ermines dating from Anne of Brittany. 

4. Stained glass window. The passion of Christ is represented in 18 panels of stunning beauty. Magic when the sun shines through!

5. Cemetery. The cemetery is behind the church and is colourful with its well planted formal garden.  

Place d’Église

The town square of Locronan has the dreamy feel of yesteryear with its wisteria-wrapped, lichen dappled buildings that take on a rainbow look in the summer with bright colourful flowers. Hydrangeas are a popular bush in the region and they look especially lovely with their bright green leaves against the grey granite buildings.

Did you know granite is the first natural stone to have its name and geographical indication protected? Granit de Bretagne has been classified since 2017. Granites have a white, greyish, yellowish, bluish, reddish, pink or black colour. In Locronan the granite is grey and the uniqueness of this town is based on the unity of all the granite buildings, with the local stone quarried from nearby quarries. You'll see this consistency of stone in the buildings captured in my photos.

Librairie Celtique

Pop into the village’s bookstore Librairie Celtique. You guessed it, as the name suggests, the bookstore honours its Celtic history with many titles featuring this proud association. Even though the outside of the building may look similar to almost every other building in the town, once you step inside, you'll be transported into the world of Celtic folklore, history and traditions and the mystic realm of druids, witches, botanical medicine and regional Breton art, architecture and monuments.

I have never been into such an atmospheric bookstore before. Full of antiques that reflect their merchandise (books and maps), it is truly a step back in time. Photos of the upstairs two floors of the bookstore are strictly prohibited so you'll just have to see it for yourself!

All books are in French, but I really recommend climbing the step granite spiral staircase (on the far right of the above photo) up to the two floors of the bookstore and taking a look. I spent ages in the store, even though my French is not fluent.

Galettes, Crépes and Cider

The créperies fill easily during summer at lunch time so my recommendation is to take lunch a little early. Sampling traditional galettes and crépes is a must when in Brittany. And how could you not accompany your delicious galette complète  with Breton cider? The town boasts many créperies and one is more sweet than the next. 

Tucked into the ancient granite buildings, the bistro tables and chairs often spill out onto little decks and alleyways surrounded by hollyhocks, hydrangeas and potted geraniums. What would be more storybook?

The Petite Troménie

Locronan is well-known for its pilgrim walks. The Petite Troménie (small pilgrim walk) pays homage to Locronan’s Celtic roots every second Sunday in July. The event celebrates and welcomes visitors and I had planned to go this year, but because it fell on Fête Nationale Française (Bastille Day), I decided to visit Locronan the day before (13th juillet) and spend the 14th celebrating with my friends. We went out for lunch at a crepérie at Bon Repos, and then I took myself to Quintin for the big town party and '14 Juillet' firework display. Even more spectacular than the Petite Troménie is la Grande Troménie (large pilgrim walk) which is held every six years.

The Grande Proménie

This is held once every six years and thousands of pilgrims retrace the steps taken by the 7th century Saint Ronan on his weekly, barefoot walk around the church boundaries. The Grande Troménie (grand procession) is a 12 kilometre walk on a path following an ancient Druid trail used by the Irish-born saint who is said to have founded the village. The main walks will be held over the two weekends but people can make their personal troménie on weekdays.

The path passes through private land, cuts across fields of crops, goes over improvised bridges (often just tree branches strewn across narrow creeks), past fertility stones and crosses on the edges of lanes and roads. The views are impressive, with the church of this most beautiful village visible from most of the vantage points. On many points of the walk you can also see the sea shimmering in the distance.

I've been told that the only difficult part is a steep hill known as la montagne. At the bottom there is a hutte, a small bower, dedicated to Notre-Dame de Pitié and halfway up one dedicated to Notre-Dame de Bon Secours. There are more than 40 huttes, specially built and decorated with flowers, housing statues of saints from nearby churches and chapels. Each is the responsibility of the family whose land it is on, or is taken care of by a chapel in the parish. A gardien (guardian) rings a bell as you approach, so if you plan to do the pilgrimage, take a purse full of change. 

The preparation for this one-in-every-six-years event on the Porzay plain and the Priory mountain is substantial. The circuit is sacred and for days prior where the procession is to pass, the wheat is mown, the corn is cut, the sunken paths are cleared of brambles and improvised bridges are thrown over the streams. 

Many worshippers and participants wear Breton costume as they watch the greeting ceremony called the baissé des bannières or when they attend services before the procession itself sets off with Saint Ronan's relics.

So even though I didn't make the Petite Troménie, I did enjoy seeing the town in all its festivities and fully prepared for the pilgrimage, by visiting it on the day prior to this celebration. And yes, it is a most beautiful town and has a wonderful character all of its own - it's a town worth seeing that's for sure! Explore Locronan with me as I walk around this gorgeous medieval town and share 'Locronan - the Most Beautiful Town in France' on YouTube. 

Useful Information

Musée d'Art et d'Histoire, Place de la Mairie, 29180 Locronan

Office de Tourisme de Locronan, Place de la Mairie, 29180 Locronan  www.locronan-tourisme.com

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