In Quimperlé, archaeologists discover the first stone of the former Capuchin convent

Who still remembers the Capuchin convent in Quimperlé? Founded at the beginning of the reign of Louis XIVthis former Finistère establishment was seized in 1793, auctioned off, resold and then transformed into a college before finally being destroyed in the middle of the 19th century.^e century. The memory of the site has faded over time, except in the memory of historians and archivists. Archaeologists, too. Their shovels and trowels have made, in recent days, a rare discovery by excavating its foundation deposit, that is to say the first stone laid during the construction of the convent.

“It was common for all religious buildings to make a foundation deposit, this was done more generally well before the Christian era.explain to Figaro Marie Millet, the scientific manager of the excavation operation. Under his direction, the archaeologists exhumed, at the beginning of August, the precious set, of a distinct appearance from the other remains. This rather special first stone of the building was made up of a square of two blocks of granite, sealed with mortar and topped with a cross engraved in the rock.

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At its heart, the researchers discovered a large sheet of lead covered in lines. A text in Latin. Despite the concretions of earth, a few proper names could be distinguished there: Pope Innocent X, the Bishop of Cornwall René du Louët de Coëtjunval, the Duc de la Meilleraye, Marshal of France and Lieutenant General of Brittany, as well as the young King -Sun in person. “We still lack the name of the person who laid the first stone. Examination of the plate after restoration will tell us more in two weeks’ time.assures Marie Millet.

While waiting for specialists to look into the mysteries of the text, a first point of detail has arisen in the eyes of archaeologists. “The foundation deposit bears the date of 1^er May 1654″, points out Marie Millet, a note of wonder in her voice. Rare are the remains that archaeologists can date on the spot, turnkey, with such precision.

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“To the day, this almost never happensshe confirms. Thanks to written sources, until then we only knew two other dates: that of the purchase of the plot by the Capuchins, in October 1653 and the start of the construction of the convent, in 1656. This very precise dating allows us to ‘refining the implementation of the site.’

The practice of symbolically commemorating the laying of the first stone of an important building has been attested since Sumerian times and ancient egypt. However, it is rare to find the deposits of European religious buildings. “Since they are under the foundations of the walls, it is difficult to get access to the deposits, to say the least; and when we could have access to them, they have most often already been reused”, observes the archaeologist, who savors the find made on his site. The foundation deposit discovered this month would be, according to the researchers, the first found in Brittany.

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The origins of Quimperlé

Entrusted since May to the care of National Institute for Archaeological Research (Inrap), the excavation operation covers an area of ​​800 m², on the site of a future music and dance conservatory. As always in preventive archaeology, the development project provided an opportunity to shed new light on the history of a small section of the territory. And, in this case, on the origins of a small convent of modern times.

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Poorly documented by written sources, the former Capuchin convent has been revealing its secrets for several weeks to archaeologists who survey it in the Quimper summer. Here reappears a cloister; there point the tombs of a small conventual cemetery and its enigmas. In the hands of a deceased, archaeologists found a tiny red agglomerate, the size of a coin. The thing is still poorly identified. “It could be a wax seal, which would mean that the person buried was holding a letter”, proposes Marie Millet. Here again, laboratory examinations will make the vestige speak.

Finally, archaeologists have also brought to light, under the convent, the trace of several habitats from the end of the Middle Ages. A well-proportioned paved courtyard indicates that a well-to-do residence stood on the site of the religious site before it was demolished. Had it been damaged and then sold following the fire which seems to have ravaged two neighboring houses? Marie Millet and her team have until the beginning of next month to examine the ground. Preserved by the study, the remaining vestiges of the convent will then be destroyed by the work to come, except for the collected furniture. And of the first stone of the convent, carefully extracted from the site soon to disappear.