Saint-Catherine Fontaine
A Templar Foundation in the Heart of Brittany
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Around 1200, the Knights Templar, the military and religious order founded to protect pilgrims on the roads to Santiago de Compostela, established a priory in Lizio, on one of the routes leading to Compostela. This priory included a chapel dedicated to Saint Catherine of Alexandria, venerated particularly in the Sinai Desert, and a devotional fountain. Lizio's strategic location, near a Roman road, made it an important crossing point for medieval pilgrims.
After the dissolution of the Templar Order in 1312, their property was transferred to the Hospitallers of Saint John of Jerusalem. The chapel suffered the ravages of the Hundred Years' War and fell into ruin. In 1615, a fire destroyed the building. It was not until 1650 and 1675 that Charles Laurencin, a Hospitaller priest and Commander of Carentoir, undertook its reconstruction, respecting the original Templar plan: a nave separated from the choir by a diaphragm arch, reminiscent of the monastic enclosure. He also installed a devotional fountain in 1661, adorned with symbols and mysterious dates, and a cross dated 1708.
The chapel and its fountain are imbued with Christian and Templar symbolism. The diaphragm arch, the seven passages blocked by vertical plaques, and the inscriptions engraved in the fountain are all coded signs that evoke the language of medieval pilgrims and companions. The chapel is dedicated to the sun and the star Sirius, symbolizing the divine light guiding pilgrims on their spiritual path. The dates inscribed in the fountain, such as 1661, 1824, and 1861, mark important milestones in the history of the site.
Today, the Chapel of Saint Catherine of Lizio is a place of pilgrimage and remembrance. It is listed as a historical monument and continues to attract visitors curious to discover its history and mysteries. The dates of April 11, the day of the fair, and November 25, the feast of Saint Catherine, are still celebrated, thus perpetuating the tradition and devotion that have animated this place since the Middle Ages.
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For those passionate about medieval history, Christian symbolism, and the legacy of the Knights Templar in Brittany, the Sainte-Catherine de Lizio chapel and fountain offer a unique immersion into a rich and mysterious past.