The churches within the bretagne cloth manufacturing zone undoubtedly lack the splendour of those of Léon, but they nevertheless reveal the relative prosperity of the south of the diocese of Saint-Brieuc during the 17th century, and its even greater prosperity during the 18th century. It is important to note that the majority of these churches had to be rebuilt as bigger versions during the Age of Enlightenment. This was necessary thanks to the population increase resulting from the booming cloth trade, and, importantly, it was also possible thanks to the financial resources of the parish mills. The parishes of Loudéac, Trévé, Saint-Caradec and Le Quillio were expanded during the 18th century, to give but a few examples. Often the cost of these expansions was not under scrutiny. In Loudéac the church was completely rebuilt in the space of a few decades and then adorned with Carrara marble statues that were brought over especially from Italy.
The more modest church of Saint-Thélo is very representative of these changes, as well as the status of the cloth trade elite within this process of redevelopment. Mostly rebuilt during the last third of the 17th century and the first few years of the 18th century, it notably houses a superb example of a baroque altarpiece which illustrates the theme of A Glorious Death as it was seen at the time. Painted by Guillaume Le Poder, it was gifted to the parish in 1676 by two cloth merchants, Pierre Moulnier, sieur de Guerochoux, and Mathurin Rolland, sieur de Chasteau Rianc who probably asked to feature within the central painting.
Translation: Tilly O'Neill
