Labeled with four flowers in the contest of towns and villages in bloom in France, Caudan is a pleasant Breton commune located in the department of Morbihan. It takes place about ten kilometers from Lorient, not far from the airport of Lann Bihouhe.
The small town would hold its name from the beginning of the Middle Ages and would be the deformation of the name of a Celtic hermit who evangelized the region in the 5th century. Populated since Prehistory, it served as a Roman camp in the Gallo-Roman period before suffering wars of religion. In the 18th century, Caudan acquired a certain reputation with the installation on its territory of the shipyards of the Compagnie des Indes. Largely during the Second World War, the municipality still has some beautiful vestiges of its history.
Close to its traditions, the city of Caudan also reveals to its visitors some beautiful cultural events.
Built in 1710 on the ruins of an older building, the church of St. Peter and Paul was rebuilt at the beginning of the nineteenth century before being again destroyed under the bombing of the Second World War. The current building dates back to the 1960s and reveals a tent-like architecture reminiscent of the Hebrew Tabernacle that housed the Ark of the Covenant. Inside, one can admire a path of the cross in green bronze on slates sealed on the ground as well as the twelve apostles carved on the door in oak.
Other religious buildings are present on the territory of the commune of Caudan, like the chapel of Trescouët built in the twelfth century. Dedicated to Notre-Dame-des-Neiges, it has a transept registered with the Historic Monuments. Right next door, a fountain would propose a water capable of giving strength. Every first Sunday of August, it is the scene of a pardon. A place of pilgrimage in the month of July, the Notre-Dame-de-Vérité chapel is associated with another well-known fountain to bring down the fever. On the second Sunday of July, it is customary to sing there a famous Breton hymn of thirty-eight verses retracing some of the miracles performed in the places.
Founded in the 6th century by Saint Gildas, the chapel Saint-Gwenhael is an eleventh century building restored in the 15th and 20th century. This former religious place especially frequented by sailors reveals a beautiful Romanesque architecture.
As you walk through the streets of Caudan, you can also discover different manor houses, such as that of Keraude from the 16th century, or that of Kerguen, from the same period, and former seigniory seat. You can also see the manor of Pendreff, also called the devil's castle, which allows to appreciate a typical architecture of the 15th and 18th century.
Do not fail to appreciate the menhir of the surrender that marks the place where the Wehrmacht surrendered arms in 1945, or the Calvary of the Rue de la Libération. Built at the beginning of the 16th century, it shows the place where the plague stopped.
The market of Caudan is held every Tuesday morning.
Regularly, the commune of Caudan offers fest-noz.
In October, one can enjoy a festival of old cars with exhibitions and animations.
In December, the city offers a Christmas market.
