Minor sacred heritage

Niches, recesses and statues

Several homes in Douarnenez have niches or recesses in their walls, in which you can often still see little statuettes, often made from the famous, hand-painted Faïence ceramic of Quimper. These statues were usually there to protect the residents against epidemics and illness. You can see examples in the streets of Hervé Julien, Jean Jaurès, Ernest Renan and Saint-Michel.

Beside the beach of Pors Cad, on the buildings of Stella Maris, you will see a Virgin and Child. The Patron Saint stands upright on the stem of a granite sloop, blessing the sea to protect the sailors. The congregation of Notre-Dame de la Mer was created in 1894 to help the poorest local families and to bring together the fishermen. They wore the medal of the Virgin and were therefore nicknamed ‘the medal guys’. The congregation ordered this  2.5-metre, cast-iron sculpture in 1899 and it was initially placed on top of a mill, then was raised to sit on this building in 1949.