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The Healing Fountain of Saint-Quirin
Brittany is dotted with healing or miraculous fountains. The Saint-Quirin fountain is renowned for curing ailments: the "Book of Miracles" of Saint-Quirin attests to this. On the day of the pardon (pilgrimage), a large procession makes its way to this place.
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Breton fountains have their own distinctive characteristics: they are primarily rural, located in hamlets rather than villages, and associated with religious buildings scattered throughout the countryside. The Saint-Quirin fountain is linked to the Saint-Quirin chapel in the village of Saint-Guérin, in the commune of Brec'h. This was a seigniorial chapel belonging to the seigneury of Kérivalan, owned by the de Robien family, a major landowner in 17th-century Brittany.
Both the chapel and the fountain are dedicated to Saint Quirin, whose cult is marginal in Brittany. Quirin is both a bishop and a martyr, but who is he really?
Several individuals bear the name Quirin: Bishop of Sisak (in Croatia), martyred for his faith in 309, was thrown into a river with a millstone around his neck.
Quirin: Tribune under Emperor Hadrian, also martyred for his faith, whose cult was popular in the Middle Ages in eastern France, the Rhineland, and Belgium.Quirin himself is said to have been a victim of the persecution of Emperor Claudius in 269. His body was thrown into the Tiber River. He was later buried in Rome, in the Pontian Cemetery on the Via Porto.
The cult of Saint Quirin may have its origins in Quiry or Kiri: a saint venerated by the Bretons of the Early Middle Ages. Kiri, a young Breton king, traveled the world and arrived in Jerusalem some time after the Ascension of Jesus. He befriended Mary and the apostles.
He was baptized and returned with numerous relics. He died en route to Nogent.Quirinus: A Roman deity, the commune of Brec'h, and in particular the village of Saint-Guérin, were inhabited during the Gallo-Roman period. Quirin could therefore be a cover for Kiri. The name Quirin may have replaced Kiri to shift the popular belief to a Christian one.
The village itself bears the name Saint-Guérin, which is thought to be the result of the local Breton pronunciation.The devotional fountain to Saint Quirin is a classic 17th-century Breton structure, restored in 1890. It consists of a granite shrine housing the spring and two recent statues of the Virgin Mary and Saint Quirin. In 1991, the fountain was rebuilt by the AFPA (National Association for Adult Vocational Training) of Brec'h. An imposing granite statue of the saint was also installed near the fountain in 1998. The spring water flows into a round basin used for the ablutions of the sick.
This was a common practice in sanctuaries where, for hygiene reasons, the sick were not allowed to wash directly in the fountain. The site also had a washhouse for the use of pilgrims.
The cult of Saint Quirin may have its origins in Quiry or Kiri: a saint venerated by the Bretons of the Early Middle Ages. Kiri, a young Breton king, traveled the world and arrived in Jerusalem some time after the Ascension of Jesus. He befriended Mary and the apostles. He was baptized and returned with numerous relics. He died en route to Nogent.
The ritual is as follows: “As in other sanctuaries, one walks around the chapel several times. Inside, one greets Saint Quirin and prays before his image. One can also go to confession, attend Mass, and receive Communion. Then comes the procession; one goes to the fountain along the path called ‘Ar Vinoten.’ At the spring, one washes the afflicted limb in the prepared basin, drinks the water, and prays before the statue.” If a miracle has occurred at the fountain, the return to the chapel is a triumphant one. Some return with crutches under their arms, or on their knees to thank the saint.
The Book of Miracles of Saint-Quirin was kept from 1670 to 1770. Eighty-one accounts of miracles and one attestation of a visit are recorded in it.
The Book of Miracles is a rare document in which pilgrims recorded the fulfillment of their vows, primarily healings that occurred after praying to the saint and after ablutions at the fountain. This tradition began after the death of Saint Vincent Ferrer in 1419: "Such extraordinary miracles, it is said, occurred at his tomb that it was decided to record the most remarkable ones." The same practice of keeping a register can be found at Sainte-Anne d'Auray around this time.
Since Saint-Quirin is on the route leading pilgrims to Sainte-Anne, the keeping of this register may have been inspired by that of Sainte-Anne. The devotees of Saint-Quirin were exclusively Bretons. The sanctuary attracted all levels of society, and especially people suffering from ailments that medicine could not cure. The register is a record of the physical miseries of the Bretons of that time: fevers, rheumatism, eye or locomotor problems, diseases unknown to us.
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