Pont-l'Abbé

Commune in Brittany, France

Pont-l'Abbé (French pronunciation: [pɔ̃ labe]; Breton: Pont-'n-Abad, "Abbot's bridge") is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France.

The self-styled capital of Pays Bigouden (roughly the region between the river Odet and the Bay of Audierne), Pont-l'Abbé was founded in the 14th century by a monk of Loctudy who built the first bridge across the river estuary, hence the name. The same monk also built the first castle.

Geography

Climate

Pont-l'Abbé has an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb). The average annual temperature in Pont-l'Abbé is 12.8 °C (55.0 °F). The average annual rainfall is 993.3 mm (39.11 in) with November as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 18.7 °C (65.7 °F), and lowest in January, at around 7.5 °C (45.5 °F). The highest temperature ever recorded in Pont-l'Abbé was 37.1 °C (98.8 °F) on 16 July 2006; the coldest temperature ever recorded was −10.8 °C (12.6 °F) on 2 January 1997.

Population

Inhabitants of Pont-l'Abbé are called in French Pont-l'Abbistes.

Breton language

The municipality launched a linguistic plan concerning the Breton language through Ya d'ar brezhoneg on 2 February 2008.

In 2008, 5.08% of primary-school children attended bilingual schools.^[6]

The Fête des Brodeuses (Embroideress' Festival) in July is one of Brittany's major traditional gatherings, and includes a Breton Mass at the Notre-Dame des Carmes church.

Sights

• Pont-l'Abbé castle dates from the 14th to the 18th centuries. The "wedding" room is decorated with Mathurin Méheut pieces of art (Sainte-Marine port), Henri Sollier and Jacques Godin. Once bigger, the castle lost its ramparts during the 19th century. Today only the bridge, the keep, and a very small part of the ramparts, in the garden nearby, can be seen. The structure now serves as the city hall, housing also the Bigouden Museum, offering a fine collection of costumes and Bigouden head-dresses,
• Church of Notre-Dame des Carmes dates from 1383-1420 in the Gothic style, with many old statues and a very fine rose window over the high altar that is considered the loveliest in Brittany.
• Church of Lambour (13th-16th century) had its roof removed in 1675 in the reign of Louis XIV in reprisal against the "Red Bonnets" uprising.
• The Monument aux Bigoudens is a masterpiece in granite by François Bazin (1931) and shows a group of four Bigoudène women and a child in traditional costume from the beginning of the 20th century, all of them thinking of a son, a father, a husband or a grandson battling the elements on the high seas.
• The Manoir de Kernuz was restored c. 1850 by the historian of Brittany, Armand du Chatellier.
• The Manoir de Kerazan located between Pont-l'Abbé and Loktudi delivers a fine art of Architecture.
• The Chapel of Treminoù (the missings in Breton) on the road to St-Jean-Trolimon, celebrates the memory of the Breton insurgents slaughtered by the French army of Louis XIV. In particular, A gathering in the last week of September and a funfair festival in the City recalls this period of Brittany's history.
• A few Menhirs still island upright around the city.
• Down to the river by the sea, lies a ria, having given its name to Loktudi (Loch Tudi, the lagoon of Saint Tudi) and Isle Tudi, which shares some beautiful sights.

• 
  Present view of the Castle's keep, south view.
• 
  the Castle's keep, north view.
• 
  the Castle's keep, from Rue Kereon, 1921.

International relations

Pont-l'Abbé is twinned with:

• Betanzos, Spain
• Schleiden, Germany
• Bantry, Ireland

Personalities

• Vincent Riou, a yacht race Sailor who distinguished himself at Vendée Globe Challenge 2004-2005 (1st) and 2008-2009 (3rd) with act of bravery, saving Jean Le Cam's life, who was sinking near of Cape Horn.
• Jérôme Kerviel, the trader formerly with Société Générale in Paris that was linked with losses of approximately €4.9 billion (US$7.16 billion) stemming from fraudulent equity index futures trading, grew up in Pont-l'Abbé.
• Gaël Julien, a racing driver currently competing in the European Le Mans Series.
• Serge Duigou, historian, specialising in the history of Brittany.

See also

• Communes of the Finistère department
• François Bazin (sculptor)

References

1. "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 9 August 2021.
2. "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
3. "Normales et records pour Pont-l'Abbe (29)". Meteociel. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
4. Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Pont-l'Abbé, EHESS (in French).
5. Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
6. (in French) Ofis ar Brezhoneg: Enseignement bilingue

External links

• Official website (in French)
• Official Pont-l'Abbé Tourism site
• Bigouden Museum of Pont-l'Abbé (in French)
• Ar Triskell, Cultures' House of Pont-l'Abbé (in French)
• Base Mérimée: Search for heritage in the commune, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
• Mayors of Finistère Association (in French)