ABSTRACT
The concept of the 'Celtic Church', used for more than a century in Brittany, seems as harmful there as it is in Britain and Ireland. This is primarily because the significance of the Roman inheritance has been insufficiently emphasized. At the same time, the characteristics of so-called 'Celtic' monasticism, which were thought to have originated in the Near East, have been exaggerated. The Breton archaeologist researching the period between the 5th and 10th centuries often works as a prehistorian because of the lack of documentary sources, a phenomenon shared with other Celtic countries; the only exception is for the Redon area in the 9th century. The rediscovery of Celtic civilization in France should be seen within a larger framework of interest in the national archaeological heritage. Regarding architecture, there is a strong Roman inheritance proven by the general reuse of Roman buildings, as at Langon, or of Roman masonry. Insular influences appear weak, except for some of the funerary inscriptions.
