The Church of Notre Dame in Bodilis

The Church of Notre Dame in Bodilis is c.6kms NW of Landivisiau . It was a gloomy, grey day and far too wet for walking, and so a good day for visiting churches. This lovely building is not on the ‘regular’ Parish Enclosure route, but it should be, and there is a restaurant and bar right next door! A lot of restoration work has been done in the Church in recent years, and the surrounding village is also developing – it all looked very different in earlier years.

The Bell Tower

We visited the church in the past but I will try to add some new images here – you always see differently the more you look. The imposing bell tower stands outside the church, built over the enclosing wall, and dates from 1570. Apparently lightning has been struck the tower several times and is now slightly shorter than originally intended. Even so it soars upwards and is the first aspect of the church which you notice.

The South Porch

The South Porch, added to the church in 1601, is fascinating. Highly decorated both inside and out and with its own ‘bell tower’, I could spend a whole post on examining the details. Here are just a few. Roland Doré carved a striking figure of the Virgin Mary , and curious pagan figures stand in a frieze underneath the saints inside the porch.

The Virgin Mary on the South Porch, Bodilis Church

A green man? on the South Porch, Bodilis Church

Inside the Church of Notre Dame of Bodilis

Inside the church is glorious. The choir and central nave date from 1567 and decorations were clearly added over many years, so styles range from the Renaissance through the Baroque to more recent times.

Bodilis Church — Ornate decoration inside the church at Bodilis

The ceiling, blue and vaulted, is of course wonderful. The carvings on the beams are funny, rural, even somewhat naughty? and quite at odds with the accepted establishment icons.