Guimiliau

Guimiliau
Guimiliau; Gwimilio
	Parish close
	Guimiliau
	Location within Brittany region Guimiliau
	Coordinates: 48°29′19″N 3°59′45″W / 48.4886°N 3.9958°WCoordinates: 48°29′19″N 3°59′45″W / 48.4886°N 3.9958°W
Country	France
Region	Brittany
Department	Finistère
Arrondissement	Morlaix
Canton	Landivisiau
Intercommunality	Pays de Landivisiau
Government
• Mayor (2014–2020)	Louis Fagot
Area1	11.22 km2 (4.33 sq mi)
Population (2008)2	943
• Density	84/km2 (220/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
INSEE/Postal code	29074 / 29400
Elevation	63–159 m (207–522 ft)
	1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Guimiliau (Breton: Gwimilio) 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[edit]

Inhabitants of Guimiliau are called in French Guimiliens.

Historical population of Guimiliau
Year	1793	1800	1806	1821	1831	1836	1841	1846	1851	1856
Population	1841	1557	1328	1397	1464	1495	1590	1596	1530	1497

Year	1861	1866	1872	1876	1881	1886	1891	1896	1901	1906
Population	1625	1625	1521	1523	1526	1511	1584	1562	1516	1453

Year	1911	1921	1926	1931	1936	1946	1954	1962	1968	1975
Population	1461	1275	1156	1043	949	988	818	786	756	700

Year	1982	1990	1999	2008
Population	760	791	814	943

Local Saints[edit]

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[edit]

Entrance to the parish close, showing the enclosing wall and gateway.

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.