Vallée des Saints, Monumental granite statues collection in Carnoët, France.
La Vallée des Saints is an ongoing project of large granite statues on the hill of Quénéquillec in Carnoët, Côtes-d'Armor. The figures, averaging 2.5 to 7 metres tall, stand on open ground; about 170 saints had a statue there in 2022. The site also holds the circular earthwork of the motte castrale of Saint-Gildas, dating from the end of the 10th century.
The association behind the Valley of the Saints was founded in July 2008 by Philippe Abjean, Sébastien Minguy and Philippe Hajas; Carnoët was chosen from nine candidate communes on 18 September 2009. Carving began that July with the Seven Founding Saints of Brittany and Saint Yves of Tréguier, and the site was inaugurated on 19 May 2012. Excavations in 2019 on the slope of the Saint-Gildas mound uncovered Gallo-Roman remains and 11th-century earth-and-wood building foundations.
The sculptures represent saints who arrived from Ireland, Wales, and Cornwall to spread Christianity through Brittany. These religious figures remain important in local memory and are shown across the site through their granite forms.
The site is open year-round and free to enter, with guides available on-site containing maps to help identify each statue. The open landscape can be visited in any weather, so appropriate clothing is advisable.
Local sculptors are working on a long-term project to create 1000 statues over several decades. New works emerge through annual workshops held from May to October, allowing the collection to grow continuously.
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