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History "Josselin"
 A
few words of history about Sainte Croix Chapel and Priory
The history of the priory of Sainte Croix goes back to the
the 11th century when Guéthenoc, founder of Josselin
and its prominent castle promised to the monks of Redon to
build them a monastery next to his fortress . The building
work was started under his reign on the right bank of the
Oust river belonging then to Vannes’ diocese. Around
1059, his son Josselin gave the covent (priory and chapel)
to Redon’s abbot Pérénès as well
as the land running down the river Oust plus the entire jurisdiction
and revenues of several villages around Josselin.
Thanks to Josselin’s devotion, the Sainte Croix church
became a burial place and with the adjunction of the farmland
administered by the monks, it was a real fief, quite wealthy
.
The bishop of Vannes granted Sainte Croix the spiritual jurisdiction
that turned it into an independant parish .
During the XIIc, several nobles retired to Sainte Croix as
monks , giving all their wealth and farmlands to the parish
.
In the XIVc, the monks leaved Ste Croix but the head of the
priory continued to receive the tithe from the the subjects
and the lands owned .
The last prior head of Sainte Croix in 1785, claimed to earn
6500 pounds after collecting the tithe . After the Revolution,
the tithe and all feudal rights being abolished, all that
belonged to Sainte Croix priory and outbuildings was sold
. In 1791, the priory, adjacent woodland, garden and meadows
were sold to a Mr Mouel for 4225 pounds. The Sainte Croix
mill was sold for 12 000 pounds to a Mr Allain . The presbytery
was sold in 1794 for 700 pounds to a Mr Cottier . The church
stopped being a place of worship until after the Concordat
signed between the state and the Church in 1802 when it returned
to the religious heritage as a simple chapel as of to date
. According to the legend, it still shelters a relic of the
“True Cross” that explains its name of Chapel
Sainte Croix .
From Roger FREY – To
find out more on Josselin and Brittany’s history :
http://www.infobretagne.com/josselin.htm |
