16 LOCRONAN (4): the Troménie

When standing in front of the church at Locronan, there’s a deep valley at the left, and a steep hill at the right, with the church on a plateau in the middle (150m above sea level). The lowest point of the valley (68m above sea level) coincides with station 4 of the Troménie (Saint Anne) while the top of the hill (285m above sea level) coincides with station 10, where a chapel dedicated to Saint Ronan is located (the ‘place of the horn’). We already see the symbolism: winter-summer, left-right, low-high, female-male, mother-father, water-fire, wet-dry, earth-sky, moon-sun, dark-light, Earth Goddess-Sun God, the complementary polarities.

The Troménie is being prepared inside the church, more specifically at the tomb of Saint Ronan, where certain rituals are held, like going three times around the tomb, the same direction as the Troménie, a clockwise circumambulation.

The first station, a chapel with fountain, is dedicated to Saint Eutrope, a ‘healing’ saint, where the pilgrims drink some water from the fountain, which has been purified by the relic of the saint. This station coincides with November 1, the Irish Samhain, when the Druids cut the mistletoe, the plant who heals everything, to make a healing potion.

Further West, we reach the second station, called “the Eternal Father”, and the third one, dedicated to Saint Germain.

Then the road turns N-W, and descends, to reach the lowest point of the valley, where the fourth station (with spring), dedicated to Saint Anne, and representing February 1, the Irish Imbolc, is located. When standing at station 4, the sun rises exactly above station 10 (the top of the hill) on the first of February!

Ana, 'The Abundant One', was an earth-, mother- and fertility goddess, ‘mother nature’. After station 4 the road turns N-E.

Station 4 and 5 are the only ‘female’ stations, respectively dedicated to Saint Anne and Notre Dame de Bonne Nouvelle (Our Lady of the Good News). The terrain there is very marshy, and the pilgrims have to cross a little stream on an improvised bridge.

Station 6 is dedicated to Saint Milliau, a semi-legendary saint, often depicted holding his decapitated head in his hands.

The seventh station, dedicated to Saint John the Evangelist, represents May 1, for the Celts the symbolic moment in time when the dark winter season changes into the light summer season. The first chapter of the gospel of Saint John talks about ‘the light shining in the dark’… The Christian feast of ‘the light shining in the dark’ is situated around the real winter solstice, Christmas, with the feast of Saint John the Evangelist on December 27, when the days really start to lengthen. So he is a good candidate to christianize a pagan ‘feast of the light’.

From station 7 the road turns S-E. The eight station shows us Saint Gwénolé, a ‘fertility saint’, while the ninth station is dedicated to Saint Ouen, who fought paganism in the region around Rouen.

After station 9, the road becomes steeper, and the pilgrim has to do a difficult climb before reaching station 10 at the top of the hill.There used to be a menhir, but it was destroyed about fifty years ago. The station is dedicated to Saint Ronan.

The Celtic sun god Lugh, ‘the shining one’, was revered on hilltops. His feast was on August 1, the Irish Lughnasa, the harvest feast. When standing on top of the hill, one sees the sun go down above station 4 in the valley (Ana) on August 1.

So Lugh is a good candidate for this station.

But it could also have been Belenos. Belenos, the Sun God, and his feast was on May 1, Beltane. He was venerated on hill tops, just like Lugh, the ‘Harvest God’.

And just like Belenos, Saint Ronan is called in a church hymn ‘the light (Christianity) shining in the dark (Paganism)’. Seen from station 10, the sun goes down above station 4 (Ana) both on May1(Beltane) and August 1 (Lughnasa). The symbolism can’t be clearer!

Station 11 shows us Saint Telo, the saint riding a deer. There’s a resemblance with Cernunnos, ‘the horned one’, also a fertility god.

Station 12 is indicated by the Keben cross, the place where she disappeared into the earth.

Cernunnos and Saint Telo

From there on the road goes down again, and passes 'Saint Ronan's Chair', also called 'la Jument de Pierre'. It's an enormous granite block, about 13m in diameter.

Women used to sit on it after a circumambulation. Clearly a fertility stone.

Totally ignored by the passing priests, it's still one of the most important stops for the pilgrims.
Further down we reach the church again.