Two periods of construction meet at the Chapelle de La Vraie-Croix: the original portal, which has been preserved, dates from the 13th century, while the rest of the chapel dates from the 16th century. Together with places connected to the village’s history and a range of nature-related attractions, they offer a varied picture to help you plan your trip. Whether you are primarily interested in historic buildings, walks or landscapes, you can easily choose what to focus on by visiting specific places.

Chapel and village history

The Chapelle de La Vraie-Croix was built over a public road. Its seasonal opening hours are also important when planning a visit: from Easter to All Saints’ Day, the chapel is open to the public every day. Check the opening information before your visit. The 13th-century portal and the rest of the 16th-century building can be viewed as distinct stages in its architectural history.

Maison Louis is the oldest house in the village and has a round tower. The building housed a hospital for pilgrims, run by the monks of St John of Jerusalem. It was intended for pilgrims travelling to Santiago de Compostela or Jerusalem. Maison Louis therefore bears witness to a historical role that goes beyond the architecture of the house itself.

Other buildings also reveal different aspects of the area’s history. The Fontaine du Saint is a protected historic monument; the basin beside the spring served as a washhouse for a long time. The parish church, dedicated to Saint Isidore, is notable for its woodwork inside. At Le Tostal, ruined houses illustrate life at the end of the 19th century, when workers arrived to build the railway line. Each of these places offers a different perspective, from religious architecture and craftsmanship to everyday life and work.

Pond, gardens and heath

Étang du Pont-Palais is a tree-lined pond in the centre of the village and is well suited to family walks. It has picnic tables, play facilities for children and a boules court. The pond combines a walk with opportunities to take a break or enjoy an activity together. Its facilities make it a different kind of outing from the historic buildings in the village.

Lande de Coët Ruel offers a contrasting landscape. This 4.4-hectare area is designated an Espace naturel sensible (ENS) and includes moderately dry heathland and a wet meadow. These different habitats shape the area, with the heath and wet meadow offering two clearly distinct natural features. If you would also like to consider the landscape when planning your trip, this offers a different perspective from the pond in the village centre.

La Vraie-Croix also has themed gardens featuring fuchsias, dahlias and sage, including rare and unusual varieties. The diversity of plants adds a distinct garden experience to the landscape and cultural attractions. Your choice of interests might therefore be shaped by a range of different features: the plants in the gardens, the habitats of Lande de Coët Ruel or the tree-lined pond.

A walk or a hiking route?

For a family walk, Étang du Pont-Palais is an obvious place to start: it is in the village centre and has picnic tables, play facilities for children and a boules court. If you are instead looking for a hiking route with a stated distance, consider the 9 km Circuit de Langroez. Hikers can discover a diverse range of wildlife and plant life in the village centre and in the hamlets along the route. The two options differ in focus and in the stated route length; no walking time or difficulty level is specified.

This makes it easy to choose what kind of travel experience you are looking for in La Vraie-Croix, without having to fit every place into a fixed itinerary. For culture, there are the chapel, Maison Louis, the Fontaine du Saint and the parish church, each with its own architectural and historical uses. For time outdoors, the pond, gardens, Lande de Coët Ruel and Circuit de Langroez offer different ways to explore. Use these differences to decide which themes you would like to shape your stay.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Île-Aux-Moines, Noyal-Muzillac, Billio, Guénin, La Gacilly, Molac, Monteneuf, Saint Gorgon

For the regional travel overview: Morbihan.