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Guimiliau

Field	Value
name	Guimiliau
native name	Gwimilio
commune status	Commune
image	Bretagne Finistere Guimiliau1 tango7174.jpg
caption	Parish close
image coat of arms	Blason ville fr Guimiliau (Finistère).svg
coordinates
INSEE	29074
postal code	29400
arrondissement	Morlaix
canton	Landivisiau
mayor	Elisabeth Guillerm
term	2020–2026
intercommunality	Pays de Landivisiau
elevation min m	63
elevation max m	159
area km2	11.22
population
population date
population footnotes

|image coat of arms = Blason ville fr Guimiliau (Finistère).svg

Guimiliau (; ) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France.

It is noted for the Guimiliau Parish close. It should not be confused with the neighbouring commune and village of Lampaul-Guimiliau.

Population

Inhabitants of Guimiliau are called in French Guimiliens.

|1793 |1841 |1800 |1557 |1806 |1328 |1821 |1397 |1831 |1464 |1836 |1495 |1841 |1590 |1846 |1596 |1851 |1530 |1856 |1497 |1861 |1625 |1866 |1625 |1872 |1521 |1876 |1523 |1881 |1526 |1886 |1511 |1891 |1584 |1896 |1562 |1901 |1516 |1906 |1453 |1911 |1461 |1921 |1275 |1926 |1156 |1931 |1043 |1936 |949 |1946 |988 |1954 |817 |1962 |786 |1968 |756 |1975 |700 |1982 |760 |1990 |791 |1999 |814 |2007 |933 |2012 |1028 |2017 |1009

Local Saints

Guimiliau, or Gwimilio in Breton, is named after St Miliau. The name simply means town or settlement (Breton: gwic) of Milio. According to legend, Miliau was a good and just Breton prince, put to death in a dynastic quarrel in the 6th or 9th century.

Guimiliau is also famous as the reputed birthplace of St Hervé, a 6th-century ascetic, who is one of the most popular Breton saints.

Parish close

Main article: Guimiliau Parish close

Parish closes are a distinctive feature of Breton culture in the historic Léon diocese, in which Guimiliau stands. As the name suggests, a close is a completely enclosed church yard, usually with a commanding entrance arch. Sacred enclosures were a feature of Celtic religion even before the arrival of Christianity. Parish closes today form the foci for pardons, the annual Breton pilgrimage festivals, which can attract thousands of worshippers.

The parish close of Guimiliau is situated at the upper end of the main village street, with the entrance dominating the village.

The calvary or crucifix is the centre piece of the church yard, surrounded by a fine and complex retelling of the Passion in statuary. See Calvary at Guimiliau

The church contains many fine examples of polychrome sculpture from the sixteenth century onwards, including several large retables. There is also a fine octagonal baptistery, a carved pulpit and a collection of banners used especially in religious processions at pardons.

Gallery

Image:Guimiliau Calvaire.jpg|Church and Calvary. File:Bretagne Finistere Guimiliau2 tango7174.jpg|Porch left side. File:Bretagne Finistere Guimiliau3 tango7174.jpg|Porch right side. File:Bretagne Finistere Guimiliau4 tango7174.jpg|Nave and choir. Image:Guimiliau04.JPG|Detail from Retable of the Rosary. Image:Guimiliau05.JPG|Detail from Retable of St Miliau. Image:Guimiliau03.JPG|Banner of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Image:Guimiliau06.JPG|Detail of the carved pulpit. File:Bretagne Finistere Guimiliau6 tango7174.jpg|Oak carved baptistry. Image:Guimiliau07.JPG|Carvings of birds, snakes and vines on the baptistery pillars. Image:Guimiliau08.JPG|Medieval carving in the porch of the church. File:Bretagne Finistere Guimiliau5 tango7174.jpg|Retable of Saint Joseph, shown in the centre with the infant Christ. Image:Guimiliau10.jpg|The two local saints: St Hervé, with St Miliau in the background. File:Bretagne Finistere Guimiliau7 tango7174.jpg|Dallam organ.

References

(9 August 2021). "Répertoire national des élus: les maires".
{{Cassini-Ehess. 16447. Guimiliau
[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4515315?geo=COM-29074#ancre-POP_T1 Population en historique depuis 1968], INSEE

Info: Wikipedia Source

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communes-of-finistère

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