Saint Julien Church

In the village of Poulgoazec, three kilometres from Plouhinec centre, stands the church of Saint-Julien, set high on a rock that dominates the mouth of the River Goyen.

The church we see today was built on the site of an older church, whose bell carried the inscription ‘1681 MH Lovarn F’. Following the Revolution, the chapel lay in ruins and only part of the wall and the bell itself remained, then in 1885 the rector of Plouhinec had it rebuilt and extended. The new church was consecrated on 16^th June 1886 on Easter Monday, significant as the ‘day of pardon’ for its namesake Saint Julien.

After that, a morning mass was said every Sunday and the Plouhinec clergy would perform catechism three times a week. There was a growing call for a complete service to be established for the parish, given the 4 kilometre distance between neighbouring Plouhinec and Poulgoazec itself, which was home to nearly 3000 people.

The inauguration of the new parish and the arrival of a dedicated rector finally took place on the 14^th April 1926. The new rector wasted no time in transforming the modest chapel into a genuine church and on 13^th March 1932 he had the pleasure of seeing two new bells consecrated and installed, created by ‘Ameline’ in the nearby city of Brest.