The Church of St Salomon, in La Martyre was built in the 14C by the Rohan family, replacing an earlier church, Notre Dame du Merzer. Ar Merzher means ‘the martyr’, King Salomon of Brittany who assassinated in 874 even though he had sought refuge in the Church. He was canonised in 910 and the original church became a site of pilgrimage. And one thing lead to another. Pilgrims brought trade, and this developed in to a fair, supported by the Rohan family which built and controlled the bridge in nearby Landerneau.)
The Church, a fabulous Parish Enclosure, was largely destroyed by a storm in 1450 (as the church would have been built of stone it must have been a tremendous storm…) and then rebuilt in the remainder of the 15C. The main road leads past the Triumphal Arch, and this is the view which everyone knows. And next to the Church is the Watch House, a lookout post for guarding the borders of Cornouaille, apparently.
The West Door is the oldest part of the Church and curious masks and a cross are carved into the door surround.
The small Ossuary was commissioned in 1619 from the Maître de Plougastel. It is tucked away on the side of the building next to the West Door, with an ornate façade, and curious caryatid figures, a complimentary telamon, and St Pol.
The main church is difficult to photograph because it is tightly surrounded with buildings, but if you walk around the back it is suddenly revealed, together with the Sacristy of 1699, the final addition to the complex.
Further information
The Church of La Martyre
The Rohan family
I would love to hear from you!