Located in the east of Morlaix Bay in a village called “Le Diben” where the French crew will take the boat to go and visit “Le Château du Taureau” next April.
Click to enlarge!
Today, on the way to check if everything was all right for our trip, I stumbled upon a real Breton stone jewel: a manor house very near the Channel.
Here it is:
Le Manoir de Tromelin. Click to enlarge.
A fortified manor house. Click to enlarge
It was built at the beginning of the XVIth century. There is a legend attached to this manor. May I tell it to you?
The story begins two centuries after its construction. A baby was born in this manorhouse in 1748. A few years later he had become a very handsome man and all the young girls from the area were in love with him: he was so good-looking! He fell in love with a young local beauty and promised to marry her but he needed his parents’consent but they refused to let him marry the young “demoiselle” : they had higher views for their son’s future, they wanted him to become a priest. They sent their son to Paris to study theology hoping that he would forget the young lady.
The young girl fell seriously ill and the young man rushed back home to see her. When he got home he couldn’t do anything: the priest was anoiting her as she was dying. Before she died, she ultimately managed to tell the young man to obey his parents. He promised and became monk ” Faithful Friar from Morlaix” in remembrance of his promise. During the French Revolution in 1789-93, he refused to give up his vows and fled to Jersey ( an English Channel island not far from the Breton shores) with The Capuchin monks of Roscoff.When religious peace was restored after the Revolution, he came back to Brittany where he died in 1824!
Sad, isn’t it?
This story was turned into a song and can be read in The National Library in Paris.
Such a charming place for such a sad story!
Tags: Manoir de Tromelin au Diben, Tromelin Manorhouse in le Diben
I can imagine their last common moments like those of the lady with the camelias. What a pity when parents “steal” their children’s lives! Children do not belong to us. We have to understand it as soon as possible!
Thanks Marie France for this nice romance. It gives a very sentimental note to our blog!
In the old days and up to the 1960′s, elder sons of a noble or rich family were supposed to become a priest, the second one if he were a boy would become a soldier and the girls were married against their will! It is fortunate things have changed!
I agree with both of you. I didn’t know of this manor house and the sad romance attached to it.
This Breton manor house is very beautiful and has a lot of charm and truly, it is located in a wonderful scenery.
I suppose it is a private manorhouse now?
Yes it is and it is going to be refurbish. It really needs it. It was fortified to prevent attacks from the sea, as most manor houses along our shores. We have hundreds of them.
Pleurez, pleurez, bonnes gens
A la romance des deux amants :
La vie leur a réservé un triste sort,
Maintenant, ils sont réunis dans la mort…
Si vous avez pleuré sur ce drame,
C’est qu’il vous reste une âme,
Alors profitez de chaque heure, profitez de chaque jour
Car ce sera bientôt votre tour !
Ce sont nos Roméo et Juliette locaux! Toujours la même histoire depuis la nuit des temps!
Il y a des jours où j’aimerais être douée en dessin pour raconter des histoires en bandes dessinées! Avec le talent de François Bourgeon, il va s’en dire! C’est un “passager du temps” avant d’être un Passager du vent. Il a choisi la période du XVIIIème siècle et sa série de bandes dessinées est superbe et inégalée.
http://www.bdselection.com/php/chroniquebd-135_Passagers_du_vent.html
The place where this story took place is indeed an extraordinary place and it is a beautiful testimony of the life that our ancestors had. The story is very catching for people that read it for the first time.
Un autre auteur de BD brestois, s’inspire de l’histoire de la Bretagne et plus particulièrement de Brest et ses environs c’est Patrice Pellerin dans L’épervier ( sublime !!) d’ailleurs de nombreux touristes vont sur ses traces à la tour Vauban ou au fort de Berthaume …. en Bretagne ,à Brest ,nous avons la chance de cotoyer quelques pionniers du reportage en bande dessinée : Kris par exemple avec ” Un homme et mort”…
et pour Marie france : ne pas rater Etienne Davodeau avec “Rural” ou “Les mauvaises gens” superbe portrait des mutations du monde ouvrier de l’ouest breton… bref des lectures à prévoir pour les vacances
Merci pour ces infos dont je ferai bon usage.
Isabelle Boucher a raison, Kris et Davodeau sont à découvrir! J’ai beaucoup aimé quand j’étais jeune… et j’aime toujours l’incontournable (et très européen) Hugo Pratt et ses “Celtiques”. A lire et à relire!
Très beau manoir, très belles photos. La légende a été mise en chanson, dis-tu?
Oui elle a été collectée et déposée à la Librairie Nationale à Paris.
I did not know this legend . At the beginning this young man was promised to a bright future what a sad end…
This manor is very beautiful!
I knew you would like such a story, Océane. Thanks for your comment.
Beautiful romance, Marie-France!
I agree with Vicky, children do not belong to us!
Our house is only a safe place until they grow up!
Manor house is very nice … with this animal sculpture on top (gargoyle ?) and strange decor over the well – I have never seen before.
Beautiful story, Marie.
Sad on one side and bright on another.
While people will believe to true love and honesty – they will be humans
The stone creature on the roof is a supernatural one and you can see them all over manor houses and churches. In the 15th,16th, 17th and 18th centuries, the stone sculptors let their imagination get loose and their monstruous bestiary was impressive and belong to different workshops.
The faces on the well must have represented the lords of the place when it was built.
The door belongs to the flamboyant gothic architecture with its double accolade ogive shape. Both ogives are adorned with flowers crowned with a coat of arms and a capital above. Have a close look.
The stone creatures were used to frighten evil from home.
What a beautiful manor house! It must be frightening at night though!!!
Goodbye ^^