Pointe Saint-Mathieu
Encyclopedia
The pointe Saint-Mathieu (Lok Mazé in Breton) is a headland
located near Le Conquet
in the territory of the commune of Plougonvelin
in France, flanked by 20m high cliffs.
In the present, there are only a few houses on the point, grouped around the abbey ruins, but in the past the settlement was not limited to the abbey and its dependents. Very soon a village became established along the coast due to the location's commercial possibilities, the presence of the monasteries and the possibilities for salvaging wrecks.
The abbey held many privileges - right to rushes, right to furnaces, rights to a twelfth of jet
, right to markets, right to fairs (Henry IV of France
had instituted, in 1602, 5 annual fairs and a weekly market), right to measure wheat and wine, etc...
In 1157 Hervé de Léon accorded the abbey the right of flotsam and jetsam
on wrecks in all his fiefdoms; in 1390 the abbey received the right to take 10% of the hull, cargo and rigging of wrecked ships. To this right were added the right of remains, confirmed in 1602 by royal letters patent. He accorded this right to the monks for "all those who perish in the sea, and on the coasts at Saint Mathieu, Plougonvelin
and le Conquet
".
Today abandoned, the Abbaye Saint-Mathieu de Fine-Terre
, was said to have held the skull of the apostle Matthew, now lost in the ocean off the point. Its ruins served as a set for the summer TV saga Dolmen
.
, built in 1835.
. Progressively expanded in the 20th century, its top is now 39m above sea level, with lodging for spotters.
Commissioned by Émile Guépratte and Georges Leygues
after the First World War, it was built following the law of 26 July 1923. The stela (representing a sailor's wife) was designed by René Quillivic
and inaugurated on 12 June 1927.
Since 2005, it has been open to the public and accompanied by a permanent exhibition of photos of disappeared sailors.
Headland
A headland is a point of land, usually high and often with a sheer drop, that extends out into a body of water.Headland can also refer to:*Headlands and bays*headLand, an Australian television series...
located near Le Conquet
Le Conquet
Le Conquet is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France.-Geography:Le Conquet is a fishing port in the northwest of Brittany...
in the territory of the commune of Plougonvelin
Plougonvelin
Plougonvelin is a commune in the Finistère department in Bretagne in northwestern France.-Population:Inhabitants of Plougonvelin are called Plougonvelinois.-Breton language:...
in France, flanked by 20m high cliffs.
Village
Abbey
The abbey held many privileges - right to rushes, right to furnaces, rights to a twelfth of jet
Jet (lignite)
Jet is a geological material and is considered to be a minor gemstone. Jet is not considered a true mineral, but rather a mineraloid as it has an organic origin, being derived from decaying wood under extreme pressure....
, right to markets, right to fairs (Henry IV of France
Henry IV of France
Henry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....
had instituted, in 1602, 5 annual fairs and a weekly market), right to measure wheat and wine, etc...
In 1157 Hervé de Léon accorded the abbey the right of flotsam and jetsam
Flotsam and jetsam
In maritime law, flotsam, jetsam, lagan and derelict describe specific kinds of wreck.The words have specific nautical meanings, with legal consequences in the law of admiralty and marine salvage....
on wrecks in all his fiefdoms; in 1390 the abbey received the right to take 10% of the hull, cargo and rigging of wrecked ships. To this right were added the right of remains, confirmed in 1602 by royal letters patent. He accorded this right to the monks for "all those who perish in the sea, and on the coasts at Saint Mathieu, Plougonvelin
Plougonvelin
Plougonvelin is a commune in the Finistère department in Bretagne in northwestern France.-Population:Inhabitants of Plougonvelin are called Plougonvelinois.-Breton language:...
and le Conquet
Le Conquet
Le Conquet is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France.-Geography:Le Conquet is a fishing port in the northwest of Brittany...
".
Today abandoned, the Abbaye Saint-Mathieu de Fine-Terre
Abbaye Saint-Mathieu de Fine-Terre
The abbaye Saint-Mathieu-de-Fine-Terre is a Breton abbey, whose ruins are to be found in the territory of what is now the commune of Plougonvelin on pointe Saint-Mathieu , in the département of Finistère. It gives the cape its name...
, was said to have held the skull of the apostle Matthew, now lost in the ocean off the point. Its ruins served as a set for the summer TV saga Dolmen
Dolmen (TV miniseries)
Dolmen is a French TV miniseries, consisting of six 90 minutes-long episodes, and starring Ingrid Chauvin. It was written by Nicole Jamet and Marie-Anne Le Pezennec, and broadcast for the first time between June 13 and July 18, 2005 on TF1.-Synopsis:...
.
Lighthouse
The point also has a 56m high lighthouseLighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
, built in 1835.
Signal station
The first signal station near the point was built in 1806, but the present one was built nearer the point in 1906, to give a view of the chenal du Four as the entrance to BrestBrest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
. Progressively expanded in the 20th century, its top is now 39m above sea level, with lodging for spotters.
The cenotaph (Memorial to sailors who have died for France)
Georges Leygues
Georges Leygues was a French politician of the Third Republic. During his time as Minister of Marine he worked with the navy's chief of staff Henri Salaun in unsuccessful attempts to gain naval re-armament priority for government funding over army rearmament such as the Maginot Line.He was born...
after the First World War, it was built following the law of 26 July 1923. The stela (representing a sailor's wife) was designed by René Quillivic
René Quillivic
René Quillivic was a French sculptor whose art expressed Breton cultural identity.-Life:René Quillivic was born on the 13th May 1879 in the town of Plouhinec, Finistère, in a small house bordering one side of what is currently known as the "Place Jean Cosquer". He came from a family of fishermen,...
and inaugurated on 12 June 1927.
Since 2005, it has been open to the public and accompanied by a permanent exhibition of photos of disappeared sailors.