In Brittany, lighthouses are symbols of maritime life. Brittany alone accounts for more than one third of all the lighthouses and fire towers illuminating the French coast. Braving currents and storms, these granite fortresses have, since the XVIIIth century, warned distant sailors of the dangers of this jagged coastline, bristling with treacherous rocks. Those of Finistère are the most mythical: Armen, La Jument, Kéréon, La Vieille...

The history of lighthouses

From Ancient Times, Greeks and Phoenicians used lights to indicate dangerous passages. In France, warning markers along the coastlines did not exist until the Middle Ages, since the policy was not to forewarn potential invaders and pillagers. Subsequently, some places were marked by simple wood fires. The first lighthouses were built in the XVIIth and XVIIIth centuries but it was primarily in the XIXth century that their construction became the general rule. The oldest Breton lighthouse is that of Stiff, on Ouessant. Construction works commenced in 1685 on the orders of Vauban and the lighthouse was first lit up in 1700.

Lighthouse lights

Lighting techniques have developed over the years thanks to various inventions. Coal fires were replaced by oil lamps placed in front of a spherical reflector, which was then in turn replaced by a parabolic mirror. But the most important innovation in terms of optics was that of the engineer Augustin Fresnel, inventor of a system of lens formations, still used today. This represented a veritable revolution which considerably increased the range of lighthouses, economising on precious fuel while increasing the luminous power of the signals. Vegetable oil was replaced by new fuels: paraffin, gas and finally electricity. Today a modernisation programme is in progress with the aim of developing renewable energy from wind and the sun.

The construction challenge

Some lighthouses were built under incredible conditions on rocks that were submerged at high tide, and in locations affected by strong currents and fierce storms. The lighthouse at Armen, the most legendary of all, is built on a rock which emerges to a height of just 1.50 metres at low tide, right in the middle of the Raz de Sein. When time allowed, the construction workers drilled a hole for the future anchoring bars. The first year they drilled only 15 holes and only 34 the next year. Throughout the whole of the year 1870, they could only work for 8 hours and for 6 hours in 1873. The construction of Armen was to take 14 years. Construction of the lighthouse known as the Jument, near Ouessant, was to take 7 years.

Automation of lighthouses

Today, almost all lighthouses are automated. The first were Armen in 1990, the Jument in 1991, followed by the Pierres Noires lighthouse in 1992. An isolated lighthouse out at sea is considered as being automated when no direct human intervention is needed for its operation. The tales of the lighthouse keepers, previously an extremely difficult and restrictive occupation, are becoming part of history. The job of the keeper is now to monitor the automated systems and intervene in the case of failure. Their duties include maintenance of the lighthouse and its surroundings, providing radio links and weather reports.

Buoys and sea markers

For all those who navigate at sea, lighthouses, buoys and sea markers constitute part of the marine landscape. Buoys are fixed or floating markers allowing sailors to identify their position when navigating in sight of the coast and thus avoiding many hazards. Bell towers, water towers, lighthouse towers are all fixed objects visible from the sea whose location is marked on marine maps and these are known as sea markers.

Visits to lighthouses

Today, there are still 80 lighthouses emitting their signals along the Breton coast. Although they are no longer inhabited, a few can still be visited*. The last of the lighthouse keepers open up the major lighthouses to visitors on account of their love of the job. Amongst the best known open to visitors are: Saint-Matthieu, Trézien, the Ile Vierge, the Stiff, Créac’h... The latter, on the île d’Ouessant, has one of the most powerful lights in the world, with a range of 120 km in clear weather. The old engine room still houses the museum of lighthouses and buoys.

*Visits to lighthouses are subject to preliminary authorisation by the local Public Works Departments.

More information

Brittany Tourist Board
1 rue raoul ponchon
35069 Rennes Cedex
Tél. : 332.99.28.44.30
Fax : 33.2.99.28.44.40
www.brittanytourism.com

Quote this article on your site