Morlaix Things to Do

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If you stay in Morlaix you are ideally placed to visit the three finest calvaries in Brittany.
Just 10km west of Morlaix is the village of Saint-Thégonnec and the site of one of the famous Breton Calvaries. The church at Saint-Thégonnec has the classic parish close comprising of triumphal arch, ossuary and the calvary itself that dates from the 16th century.

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Saint-Mathieu is the main church of Morlaix and is worth visiting for its opening statue of Notre Dame du Mur. Its foundation dates back to the 11th century, but it was rebuilt in Gothic style between 1498 and 1505 and remade again in 1824. The bell-tower of 1548 is one of the first Renaissance buildings in France.

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The statue ouvrante de Notre-Dame du Mur is a 14th-century opening statue of the Virgin at whose interior Saint Joseph holds the cross with Christ. Biblical scenes are depicted on both sides of the opened statue, as you can see in my travelogue.
This is a rare kind of statue in France and in Europe.

As in all French towns the town hall is usually a grand affair, and Morlaix is no exception. In days gone by this building would have been on the waterfront, but due to the land being reclaimed the town hall now sits approx 600 meters from the harbour walls. The land was reclaimed when the viaduct was built in the 1860s

The square you see in front of the town hall is called Place des Otages (Hostage Square) so named as it is here the Nazis executed some hostages in December 1943. Today the square is a bustling market place on a Saturday.

The Saint-Mathieu quarter of the town is the oldest part of Morlaix, sitting on the slopes on one of the three hills the town is built on, situated south of the town hall. This area is wonderfully atmospheric & traditionally olde worlde French, with narrow cobbled streets, timber framed buildings. In places it is still possible to see the old town walls. Definately worth a wander & an afternoon of your time.

Morlaix is full of picturesque overhanging timber framed houses, dating back to the 1600s, one of which has been turned in to a museum called Maison de la Reine Anne. Where you wander inside & get the feel for life as it was centuries ago when The Duchess of Bretagne, Anne lived here. To read the long but fascinating story of her life & Bretagnes bid for freedom from the French check out the website below.

Entrance 1.5 euro. Opening times vary but mainly 10 - noon & 2 - 5. Longer in the summer

With parts of the church being bombed in 1943 the interior decor is quite a mish mash of different styles, from modern stained windows telling of the story of the bombardment to freizes around the ceiling dating back to the mid 1600s.

My favourite thing about the church was the ceiling, the whole area was wooden & painted in a lovely night time blue colour covered in gold stars.

The foundations of the present day church of St Melaine started back in 1149, when there sat a Benedictine Abbey. Over the centuries bits were destroyed & bits were added to make it in to the church you see today. An unusual feature is the minaret type bell tower on the front of the church.

On the 29th January 1943 the church was bombed by the British along with the Viaduct (which was the actual target but the church sits alongside it ). Restoration of the church was completed in 1955.