Detail from Entombment of Christ scene sculpted in the late 1500s on a calvary in the parish close of the Eglise Saint-Miliau in the village of Guimiliau, Finistère, Brittany, France.
Eglise Saint-Miliau, Guimiliau, Haut-Léon, Finistère, Brittany, France: sculpted scene from the ornate and complex calvary in the parish close (enclos paroissial), created in the 1580s and with figures in 16th century dress. The scene in this image is a detail from the Entombment of Christ. Work on this calvary started in 1581 and was completed in 1588. Four buttresses surround an octagonal structure and a staircase leads to a platform where the Cross of Christ stands. At the foot of the Cross, the Passion and life of Christ is sculpted in a series of scenes arranged horizontally. All figures are depicted face on. Parish closes (les enclos paroissiaux) are a feature of Breton art. They refer to enclosed cemeteries beside a church, each including a calvary. Breton calvaries are elaborate sculptures detailing biblical and sometimes secular scenes. Many ancillary figures wear not biblical robes but elaborate 16th century dress. The naive carvings were worked in granite. At a time when many were illiterate, the stone carvings provided pictorial information. Guimiliau (Gwik Miliau in Breton, Miliau’s village) got its name from Miliau, Count of Cornouaille, murdered in 551. It is in the Haut-Léon region of Finistère
Size: 4898px × 4898px
Location: Calvary, Parish Close, Church of St Miliau, Eglise Saint-Miliau, Guimiliau, Finistère, Brittany, Fra
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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