Last modified: 2023-09-01 by olivier touzeau
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![[Flag]](../images/f/fr-22-mc2.gif)
Flag of Merdrignac - Image by Olivier Touzeau , 14 November 2021
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The municipality of Merdrignac (in Breton, Medrigneg; 3,092
inhabitants) is located 50 km west of Rennes and
30 km east of Loudéac.
Merdrignac was most probably named after its founder, the Gallo-Roman
Maternus. The final "ac" comes from the Gaulish suffix -acos. In the
Gallo-Roman times, the early parish of Merdrignac included the villages
of Merdrignac, Illifaut and Trémorel. Merdrignac was located on the
main Roman way linking Condate (Rennes) to Vorgium (Carhaix), as shown by the milestone found there.
A lord of Merdrignac was already present in the 11th century: named Guy and also lord of la Harsouinaie, he ceded the St. Brigitte
of Kildare priory in Merdrignac to the canons from the St.
Geneviève abbey in Paris, which had a settlement in Paimpont, provided
they would praise the lord for the rest of his soul in perpetuity. The
name of the family and of the domain was then written Merdrinniaco
(1118) and Merdrenniaco (1164). The current written form, Merdrignac,
appeared as soon as 1255, but several variants were used until the 15th
century (Medrignac, Medreignac, Merdreigniac, etc.).
In the beginning of the 13th century, Robert, Viscount of Merdrignac,
married Denise Goyon de Matignon; they made settlement to the abbey of
Saint-Aubin-des-Bois in 1252, 1257 and 1259. Denise was recognized by
the monks as the patron of the abbey. In 1294, the heir of Merdrignac
married Jean of Beaumanoir and the domain was transferred to this
family.
In 1463, the Duke of Retz founded a market hall in Merdrignac, which
boosted the development of the town. On 22 February 1724, Prince Joseph
Stuart, first cousin of the last Stuart pretender to the throne of
England, died aged 60 in the village of Kerilvala.
[
Ivan Sache, 1 October 2005
The flag of Merdrignac, spotted in 2019, is white with a yellow shield with a stylized red lion, as in the (pre-2021) logo of the commune, and the name of the commune in black celtic-style letters on a white cartouche above (photo).
Olivier Touzeau , 14 November 2021
![[Flag]](../images/f/fr-22-mc.gif)
Flag of Merdrignac - Image by Arnaud Leroy, 1 October 2005
The flag of Merdrignac, as reported by Hervé Prat, is yellow with a red crowned lion in canton.
The flag is derived from the municipal arms, "Or a lion rampant crowned gules". These are the arms of the family of Goyon, which can be seen
on a seal dated 1219. The Goyon-Matignon family - most probably related to the Goyon de
Matignon family mentioned above - played an important role in the
history of the Principality of Monaco. In 1715 the Grimaldi heiress
married Jacques-François de Goyon-Matignon, from an old Breton family, who assumed the name and arms of Grimaldi.
Arnaud Leroy & Ivan Sache, 1 October 2005
Pacal Vagnat, reported on his website elements given by Hervé Prat: a variant of the yellow flag with red crowned lion existed with the name of the commune in red letters on a white stripe in the lower part of the flag.
Olivier Touzeau , 14 November 2021