The name Notre-Dame-du-Roncier dates only from the 15th century,
even though the church is much older,
and is based on a very old legend.
The dedication to Our Lady of Roncier began in the middle ages.
It was founded on writings by a Carmelite monk.
The author recounts that it was before the town of Josselin existed.
The legend goes that ,more or less in the year 808,
a peasant cutting brambles with a sickle in his field discovered a statue of the Virgin.
This sickle can be seen today hanging in the vault of the altar - a souvenir of the finding of the statue.
He carried the statue home but the statue returned to the field.
This was repeated several times until the man decided that the Virgin wanted a sanctuary built on the spot where he had found the statue
- this became Our Lady of the Rosebush.