Draft:Henri Gillard

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Henri Gillard
Rector of Tréhorenteuc
Statue of Father Henri Gillard, sculpted by Michaël Thomazo, in front of the Graal church.
Installed1942
Term ended1962
PredecessorAbbot Renaud
SuccessorDeleted role
Orders
OrdinationDecember 20, 1924
Personal details
Born
Henri Antoine Marie Gillard

(1901-11-30)November 30, 1901
Manoir de Trénaleuc, Guégon
(Morbihan,  France)
DiedJuly 15, 1979(1979-07-15) (aged 71)
Plumergat
(Morbihan,  France)
Coat of armsHenri Gillard's coat of arms

Henri Gillard, better known as Abbot Gillard or the Rector of Tréhorenteuc (born November 30, 1901 in Guégon, died July 15, 1979 in Plumergat), was a Breton abbot attached to the Sainte-Onenne church from 1942 to 1962. As soon as he arrived, he restored this small church in an isolated commune (at the time, it could only be reached by stony paths) in the Morbihan region, decorating it with paintings that blended Celtic wonder with Christian faith, through the symbolism of the Grail. He popularized the Arthurian legend through his numerous books and the guided tours he organized of the nearby Val sans retour. During his years of ministry, he guided visitors and hosted them in the church.


His work revitalized the commune of Tréhorenteuc, which at the time was suffering from a major rural flight, making it a popular tourist destination. Disowned and exiled by his superiors in 1962, abbot Gillard was finally recognized after his death in 1979, and buried in the church of Tréhorenteuc. A statue of him was erected and an association was formed to defend his works and legacy.

Life[edit]

Henri Gillard was born in Guégon on November 30, 1901, at the Trénaleuc manor house.[1] His ancestors had been farmers for several generations.[1] He studied in Ploërmel, then at the major seminary in Vannes, before being ordained a priest on December 20, 1924, at the age of 23.[1] Initially a secondary school teacher, he became vicar in Plumelec, then was appointed to Crédin, where his superiors already had little appreciation for his originality.[1] He was mobilized for World War II in 1940, and returned to Crédin after the defeat.[2] During the German occupation, he took refuge in his reading.[1]

Rector of the Tréhorenteuc parish[edit]

In March 1942, he became the new rector of the local parish of Tréhorenteuc. In view of his original and non-conformist ideas, according to which the Grail legend was not a legend,[3] the diocese of Vannes presumably sought to "put him on the back burner" in this small, isolated rural commune connected by dirt roads, whose church was falling into ruin.[4][5] Tréhorenteuc, affected by the rural flight, was considered the "chamber pot" of the diocese.[6]

Abbot Gillard's mastery of the Gallo language quickly won him acceptance among the Tréhorenceutois, and he took a liking to the commune's poor farmers, sharing their lives and becoming their town hall secretary.[7] With the 150 inhabitants of Tréhorenteuc,[8] he recognized the potential of the legends of Brocéliande and the nearby Val sans retour.[5] Abbé Gillard did not place the "pagan" aspects of Arthurian legend and Catholicism in opposition.[9] In redecorating the church at Tréhorenteuc (at his own expense),[7] he appealed to the Celtic, Christian and esoteric marvels of the time, in line with the new socio-economic practices of his era, made possible by the arrival of annual leave and advances in the automobile, and in response to a demand for tourism.[10]

The first tours were created in the post-war years: buses left Rennes on Sundays to serve Tréhorenteuc, from where Abbot Gillard took on the task of showing visitors around the Val sans retour.[11] He gave a symbolic and religious presentation of the site, and didn't hesitate to accommodate visitors in his restored church, in the manner of a youth hostel.[12] Henri Gillard appeared on television (FR3) and radio (Europe 1), presenting the sites of Arthurian legend.[13] The representation of the Stations of the Cross he commissioned for the church, featuring Morgan le Fay in a garment that revealed her form, contributed in particular to raising the profile of the site.[9] As early as 1943, he had small visitor guides published by "Editions du Val".[14] His great sense of communication[5] and his personality built the reputation of the village, which gradually attracted visitors from all over France. Against a backdrop of a declining agricultural economy, his efforts helped the village to generate some income from tourism.[5] Less than a place of worship, his church became a cultural center, "for lack of inhabitants".[15]

The church of Sainte-Onenne, better known as the "Grail Chapel", restored by Abbot Gillard.

The abbot's original personality favored his integration into the Breton culture. Breton poet Charles Le Quintrec recalls endless discussions about the Ys legend and Celtic epics between Abbot Gillard and his guests.[16] He points out that, for Henri Gillard, "everything was just symbols".[17] Indeed, Gillard was passionate about numbers and astrology, spending long hours stargazing and reading ancient works. His superiors had no hold on him, and he returned again and again to his calculations and studies of symbolism.[16] According to Le Quintrec, the abbot spoke low and fast, and had the look of a child.[17] Henri Gillard frequented other Breton intellectuals, in particular Xavier de Langlais and Jean Markale.[18]

Final years[edit]

In 1962, his ideas attracted the attention of his episcopal see. His superiors, shocked by his actions and the way he blended Christianity with pagan wonder, relocated him and forbid him into the church Sainte-Onenne. He lived out his final years in the clergy retirement home at Sainte-Anne-d'Auray. He still received many visits, including from the press and television.[17] This distance from Tréhorenteuc made him suffer. According to Le Quintrec, he resembled a "lost, misguided and diminished child" in search of tenderness.[17] It wasn't until his death on July 15, 1979,[19] that the diocese of Vannes officially recognized him and allowed him to be buried in his church.[5]

Works[edit]

Henri Gillard wrote some twenty opuscules under the author's name "Le recteur de Tréhorenteuc", two audiovisual booklets on the Epistles and the Gospel in national museums, and an essay on the zodiac. Most of his works can now be viewed at the Tréhorenteuc tourist office.[2]

  • Gillard, Henri (1954). Les Éditions du Ploërmelais (ed.). Les Mystères de Brocéliande [The Mysteries of Broceliande] (in French).
  • Gillard, Henri (1955). Les Éditions du Ploërmelais (ed.). La mystique des nombres dans les beaux arts [The mystique of numbers in the fine arts] (in French).
  • Gillard, Henri (1956). Les Éditions du Ploërmelais (ed.). Symbolisme et mystique des nombres en Brocéliande [Symbolism and mysticism of numbers in Brocéliande] (in French).
  • Gillard, Henri (1971c). St. Joachim (ed.). Vérités et légendes de Tréhorenteuc [Truths and legends about Tréhorenteuc] (in French). VerLeg1971.
  • Gillard, Henri (1971b). St. Joachim (ed.). Les Épîtres dans les musées nationaux : livret audio-visuel [The Epistles in national museums: audio-visual booklet] (in French).
  • Gillard, Henri (1971a). St. Joachim (ed.). Implantation en Brocéliande des romans de la Table ronde [The Broceliande setting for the Round Table novels] (in French).
  • Gillard, Henri (1976). St. Joachim (ed.). Le Zodiaque: ses signes, les nombres sacrés et les idéogrammes [The Zodiac: its signs, sacred numbers and ideograms] (in French).
  • Gillard, Henri (1996). Association de sauvegarde des œuvres de l'Abbé Gillard (ed.). Vérités et légendes de Tréhorenteuc [Truths and legends about Tréhorenteuc] (in French).

Posterity[edit]

Abbot Gillard is regarded as the man who brought Arthurian legends back to life in this small Brittany commune, thanks to his efforts and the restoration of its church, dedicated to Saint Onenne.[4] He blended Celtic legends and Christian faith in a truly open-minded way.[20] His legacy includes a famous little phrase, "The door is inside" (La porte est en dedans), and other esoteric reflections such as "What we see doesn't exist, but what we don't see does" (Ce que l'on voit n'existe pas, mais ce que l'on ne voit pas existe).[1]

He was also the last rector of Tréhorenteuc: after his departure, the religious charge of the little church was entrusted to the rector of Néant-sur-Yvel and the parish priest of Mauron.[21] After his death, the "Association de sauvegarde des œuvres de l'Abbé Gillard" (Association to safeguard the works of Abbot Gillard) was created. The building is now known as the "esoteric church".[4] During his years of service as a priest, Abbot Gillard met Jacques Bertrand, alias Jean Markale, who has since been considered his spiritual heir.[14]

Statue[edit]

In 1998, a bronze statue of him was erected in front of the church, in tribute to his investment in its restoration.[9]

On Wednesday May 19, 2021, tourists noticed that the statue of Abbot Gillard had disappeared, and asked if it was being restored.[22] The date of the theft is unknown, as neither the person opening the church nor the local residents noticed the statue missing.[22] The mayor of Tréhorenteuc, Michel Gortais, filed a complaint against the theft, which affected both religious and non-religious residents of the commune.[22] A crowdfunding was launched in 2022 to replace the statue with a resin replica.[23]

See also[edit]

  • Val sans retour
  • iconCatholic Church portal

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f Ealet (2008), p. 146
  2. ^ a b Guilloux, Yves (2004). éditions Cheminements (ed.). Le triskell et l'écharpe : la transceltique d'un maire breton [The triskell and the scarf: the transceltic of a Breton mayor] (in French). p. 250. ISBN 2844782515.
  3. ^ "L'église de l'abbé Gillard" [Abbé Gillard's church]. Brocéliande en Bretagne (in French). Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c Arz, Claude (2011). Place des éditeurs (ed.). Voyages dans la France mystérieuse [Journeys in mysterious France] (in French). p. (digital book, search "Abbé Gillard"). ISBN 284228450X.
  5. ^ a b c d e Ealet (2008), p. 11
  6. ^ Ealet (2008), p. 145
  7. ^ a b Ealet (2008), p. 147
  8. ^ Papieau (2014), p. 103
  9. ^ a b c Colignon, Jean-Pierre (2014). "À Tréhorenteuc, une pin-up dans un chemin de croix". In Michel, Albin (ed.). Curiosités, jeux et énigmes de la Bretagne [In Tréhorenteuc, a pin-up girl in a Way of the Cross in Curiosities, games and riddles of Brittany]. ISBN 2226306781.
  10. ^ Papieau (2014), p. 105
  11. ^ Calvez (2010), p. 13
  12. ^ Ealet (2008), pp. 153–154
  13. ^ Ealet (2008), pp. 154–155
  14. ^ a b Ealet (2008), p. 149
  15. ^ Gillard (1971), p. 4
  16. ^ a b Le Quintrec, Charles (2012). Michel, Albin (ed.). Un Breton à Paris [A Breton in Paris] (in French). ISBN 2226228225.
  17. ^ a b c d Le Quintrec (1987), p. eBook
  18. ^ Papieau (2014), p. 104
  19. ^ "État civil sur le fichier des personnes décédées en France depuis 1970" [Civil status of people who have died in France since 1970]. deces.matchid.io (in French). October 20, 2023.
  20. ^ Ealet (2008), p. 137
  21. ^ Ealet (2008), p. 142
  22. ^ a b c "Tréhorenteuc. Devant l'église, la statue de l'abbé Gillard a été volée" [Tréhorenteuc. In front of the church, the statue of Abbot Gillard has been stolen.]. Ouest-France (in French). May 20, 2021.
  23. ^ "Tréhorenteuc. L'appel aux dons relancé pour la nouvelle statue de l'abbé Gillard" [Tréhorenteuc. Appeal for donations re-launched for new statue of Abbé Gillard]. Ouest-France (in French). October 6, 2022.

Bibliography[edit]

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