Eglise Notre-Dame-de-la-Merci

The church at Trémel is dedicated to Notre-Dame, patron saint of the Order of Mercedaries, also known as the Order of Notre-Dame-de-la-Merci. This order was founded in 1218 by Pierre Nolasque to buy back Christians held captive by Moorish pirates. It is a reminder of this humanitarian mission that Our Lady is depicted in the stained glass windows of the main window holding the chain of captives.

The chapel was built in the innovative style of architect Philippe Beaumanoir, as evidenced by the bell tower-wall and the multiple-groove apse, both characteristic of this style.

In the shape of a Latin cross, the church at Trémel was built at the end of the 15th century or at the beginning of the 16th century under the supervision of the conseil de fabrique, which brought together notables, merchants and influential members of the clergy and nobility. At the time, the church consisted of a five-bay nave with a rood screen, gallery and baluster, a polygonal three-sided chevet, a bell tower and four seigniorial chapels.
The master builder of the Trémel church appears to have been Jean Guillou. His name (in Gothic script) and his quality are known from his epigraphic signature accompanied by a stonemason's hammer on two of the octagonal pillars in the nave that frame the small south chapel.

At the end of the 17th century, a sacristy was built on the east side against the chevet and the east wall of the Kermerzit chapel, masking part of the east window.

Following the collapse of a wall in 1875, the church was restored and enlarged by Guillaume Lageat, an architect from Lannion.

Because of its historical and architectural interest, the church at Trémel was classified as a Historic Monument on 12 December 1910. As such, the building has benefited from regular restoration campaigns. The main altar in granite from Ile Grande was inaugurated on 11 November 1940, when Joseph Le Roy was rector.
Burnt down in 1950 and restored in 1958, the church at Trémel was once again ravaged by fire on 21 June 2016: the clock on the south porch stopped at 6.16pm. With temperatures of around 1,000 degrees, some of the granite ashlars - now reddened - cracked or shattered. The wooden roof frame and vault were almost completely destroyed in the fire. The church contained objects and furnishings that will be impossible to replace, such as the statuary and the series of fourteen Stations of the Cross by Xavier de Langlais dating from 1935. Only the polychrome wooden statues of the twelve apostles in the south porch and the 16th-century statue of Notre-Dame in the portal have been preserved.

After a restoration campaign in 2021, the church once again opened its doors on the occasion of the European Heritage Days.

The church is open on request from the Town Hall secretariat.
Guided tours for groups are available on request and in the presence of a representative of the Town Hall.
From 14 July to 15 August, guided tours are organised as part of the Chapels Tour.
The chapel is located on a hiking trail.