Sizun Parish close, Religious complex in Sizun, France.
Sizun Parish close comprises the Église Saint-Suliau, a sacristy, an ossuary chapel and a triumphal arch entrance. The ossuary, built 1585–1588, has a door with fluted Corinthian columns, a triangular pediment bearing the Rohan coat of arms, and twelve niches with statues of the apostles above a band of arched windows. The church's 1514 flamboyant Gothic south porch and 1683 Thomas Dallam organ are notable.
The church was rebuilt and enlarged in the 17th century, keeping four central pillars of the original building; its porch is dated 1514. The triumphal arch was built between 1585 and 1590, and the ossuary between 1585 and 1588. The ensemble has been a listed historical monument since 1943.
The ossuary displays twelve detailed apostle statues in niches, communicating the religious beliefs of its era through carved stone. The church's five altarpieces reflect the devotion that was practiced within this community.
The site is best explored on foot, with the arcades and niches of the ossuary providing good reference points to understand the spatial layout. The interpretation centre housed in the former ossuary provides deeper insights into Breton architecture and local religious heritage.
The triumphal arch, called Porz-ar-Maro (gate of the dead), is 14.5 m wide and was built in 1588-1590. A full-size copy of it stood in the Tuileries gardens in Paris during the 1989 bicentenary of the French Revolution. Its stone stair to the upper gallery, once used for open-air preaching, was removed to widen the road.
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