Pleyben Parish close, Parish close in Pleyben, France

The Pleyben parish close is a walled ensemble around the late Gothic Saint Germain church, whose two towers differ: the Saint Germain tower rises 47.5 m to an octagonal dome and lantern, while the Sainte-Catherine spire reaches 32 m and links to its stair turret by an aerial gallery. A triumphal arch of 1725 and a 15th-century ossuary stand in the enclosure, with the calvary of 1650.

Construction of Saint Germain Church began in 1530 and it was consecrated in 1583; the transepts date to 1564, the porch tower was begun in 1588, and work halted during the Wars of the League before resuming in 1633 and finishing in 1642. The ossuary itself dates from the 15th century, was restored in 1733 and renamed the Chapelle des Trépassés in 1736. The church was listed as a monument historique in 1846, the calvary in 1875 and the ossuary in 1914.

The calvary displays stone carvings showing moments from Jesus's life, which once served as visual teaching tools for the people of the parish. These detailed reliefs reveal how the church communicated its message through art rather than words.

The close stands on place Charles-de-Gaulle in the centre of Pleyben, with the triumphal arch forming the entrance through which funeral processions once passed. The church, calvary and ossuary are separately listed monuments, the church since 1846. Look for the 1571 carved sablières along the nave walls and the 116 decorated roof-boss keys above.

The ossuary began as a 15th-century charnel house and was restored in 1733, then renamed the Chapelle des Trépassés in 1736 and dedicated to Saints Simon and Jude. It was listed as a historical monument by decree on 21 December 1914, separately from the church (listed 1846) and the calvary (listed 1875).