At Home in Brittany

Le Yaudet - The Site of a Roman Fort

Le Yaudet is situated at the mouth of the river Léguer which winds its way into the ancient port of Lannion on the North Coast of Brittany. It is a small hamlet built around a granite promontory which commands views across the the centre of the Pink Granite Coastal approaches. It is not surprising therefore that the Romans built a fort at le Yaudet where they could defend the access to one of their most important strongholds on this coast.

Today there is little evidence of the structure other than several level plateaux surrounded by the remains of stone walls and earthworks however it is still possible to stand on the fort site and admire the surrounding coastal vista. In the 50's and 60's several excavations were carried out on the site resulting in several finds of Roman coins and other indications of Roman occupation.

A new programme of research excavations began in 1991 and continued annually until 2002. The work was a Franco-British collaboration involving the Institute of Archaeology, University of Oxford and the Centre de recherche bretonne et celtique, Université de Bretagne. Excavations uncovered evidence of Iron Age occupation and it appeared the romans had built much of their fortifications on the original defence platforms. Due to the location of the fort several Roman villas were built in the surrounding countryside many of which may still remain undiscovered.

The original village developed around the fort and some of the houses in occupation today are said to date from the 16th century. Le Yaudet is now a popular tourist site and provides a pleasant location for a weekend walk along one of its many paths leading from and to the two small beaches nestled at the foot of the promontory.

The main beach can be reached by a steep road descending from the village down to a small inlet surrounded by small houses clinging to the surrounding slopes. This is one of the many beautiful areas to explore on this stretch of the coast.

History in Stone - Barnenez

What I find so remarkable is that the history we spend so much time looking for and digging for in the UK is so readily on view here in Brittany.  Scratch the surface of any field et voila your almost guaranteed to find evidence of a bygone time in the shape of a roof tile, a piece of pottery or even Roman tesserai.  

 

My dog and my husband often while away the time studying various corners of fields, their patience is sometimes rewarded. My dog is very successful at spotting old bones (mainly deposited circa two days ago by the farmer’s dog) but more often than not it is my husband who returns with a find!

 

These bits and bobs abandoned by communities living on this soil centuries ago are a handy nudge; because we can become too immersed in the ‘here and now’ and fail to reflect on how we got here.  But for a really loud wake-up call there is a place that positively shouts at you from 5000 years BC!

 

Ten kilometres from Morlaix at the top of a headland overlooking the sea rises the  Barnenez mausoleum; the oldest ancient monument built by man on the Armorican peninsula.  This funeral complex is 87 meters long by 20 meters wide and no less than 8 meters in height.  The exterior is built of dry stone and constructed in two phases, the second being established two or three hundred years after the first.

Saints, Legends and Churches

After a few years of acclimatising to the rhythm of life in Brittany, it is relatively easy to become complacent about the community we have settled in.  Fortunately, every now and then something jumps out at you and reminds you not to take for granted the culture you derive so much pleasure from; or the origins of that culture. 

 

It was catching sight of an unidentifiable saint, (there are a great many of them in Brittany) embedded in the wall above a continuous flow of clear water from a spring; that sparked a renewed interest in churches. Where there is a church (or chapel) there is a saint and where there is a saint there is always an embroidered story.

 

As my little dog took a life saving drink at the unidentified saint’s spring after our exploratory walk in the little village of Loguivy-les-Lannion I felt compelled to look more closely at the church.

 

Snuggled in the small neat village is a higgledy-piggledy construction of a 15^th century church which suggests because of the towers a Romanesque influence with a bit of Byzantine thrown in for good measure.

Ankou a Legend from Brittany

A formidable character, steeped in the legends of many cultures, under different names, is known as Ankou in Brittany; and plays a strong part in its folklore.

This reaper of souls pervades; not only as a creature of fantasy into the Breton culture, but once represented more than just a figment of people’s imagination. He is even distinguished enough to appear amongst the effigy’s of saints in Ploumilliau (a village in North West Brittany) church; a tangible reminder of the strong beliefs of a bygone time. But with a host of other bogey-men to choose from why choose Ankou?

Anatole le Braz was a late nineteenth century early twentieth century collector and translator of Breton stories and songs. Not only do they provide cosy fireside reading but they also allow us to be privy to a way of life in Breton communities, burdened by strong superstitious influences.  

Rural Brittany Savoir Faire

Why is French couture and particularly haute couture so distinguishable from other countries?  Fashion houses whose workmanship and creative design are found not only in Paris but in London, New York, Milan, Rome, Tokyo; and all are worthy of the title of haute couture. La mode française is of course; as in all other parts of the world, an expression of the culture of a country.

 

The answer is probably found in the 18^th century, notably emanating from the frivolous and overstated mode of fashion adopted by the French court at Versailles. The extravagant styles topped with powdered wigs and the notoriously decadent reputation of social behaviour was the beginning of an influence that spread around the world.

 

Today, the echoes of the flamboyance of taste at that extravagant period of history can still be seen: not only on the catwalks of fashion houses but also in the high street shops.  It is reflected in the more exclusive shops in the largest towns nearest our rural home; the clothes based on styles not unseen in British shops but with an additional ruffle, extra buttons adorning the sleeves; a cut in a tailor-made jacket reveals the splash of colour of the lining or generally it is something Je ne sais quoi.

 

Anne de Bretagne – Duchess of Brittany

Brittany is a region of north-west France which has always regarded its culture remote from that of the rest of the country; and in support of this ideology there is an historical story of a seemingly vulnerable Duchess. 

 

Her story revolves around her three marriages; which came about in her endeavours to secure the continuing independence of the Duchy. For Anne it all began in 1488 when a French army invaded Brittany defeating Anne’s Father; Frances II Duke of Brittany, and effectively ending what was referred to as La Guerre Folle between France and the Duchy. France coveted Brittany, and fearing it would fall into foreign hands imposed on the Duke the restriction that his daughter’s hand in marriage would not be given without the consent of the French crown. Shortly afterwards the Duke died leaving Anne; at the tender age of twelve, Duchess of Brittany  and facing what was to be, the last Franco- Breton war.