Le Faouët (; ) is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the

Morbihan Morbihan ( , ; br, Mor-Bihan ) is a department in the administrative region of Brittany, situated in the northwest of France. It is named after the Morbihan (''small sea'' in Breton), the enclosed sea that is the principal feature of the coastl ...

department of the

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...

in north-western

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. The sixteenth century timber market halls are a noted feature of the town and two medieval chapels lies within the boundaries of the commune.

Toponymy

Faoued (french, Faouët) is a breton word meaning beech forest.

Geography

Le Faouët/Ar Faoued is located north of

Quimperlé Quimperlé (; ) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France. Geography Quimperlé is in the southeast of Finistère, 20 km to the west of Lorient and 44 km to the east of Quimper. Historically, it belo ...

, northwest of

Lorient Lorient (; ) is a town ('' commune'') and seaport in the Morbihan department of Brittany in western France. History Prehistory and classical antiquity Beginning around 3000 BC, settlements in the area of Lorient are attested by the presen ...

and east of

Quimper Quimper (, ; br, Kemper ; la, Civitas Aquilonia or ) is a commune and prefecture of the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France. Administration Quimper is the prefecture (capital) of the Finistère department. Geography Th ...

. It lies in the historical region of

Cornouaille Cornouaille (; br, Kernev, Kerne) is a historical region on the west coast of Brittany in West France. The name is cognate with Cornwall in neighbouring Great Britain. This can be explained by the settlement of Cornouaille by migrant princ ...

. Traditionally a Breton-speaking area, the French language became commonly used from the 1950s. The town lies in the valley of the river

Ellé The Ellé (; br, Ele) is a river in the region of Brittany, western France. Its source is south of the town Rostrenen, in the south-west of the department Côtes-d'Armor. The Ellé flows southwest through the following ''départements'' and town ...

. The river Ellé forms the commune's eastern border. The river Inam forms the commune's western border and flows into the river Ellé. Apart from the town, there are about one hundred and twenty hamlets and isolated farms. In the center of the town stands the sixteenth century timber market halls.

Map

List of places

History

The oldest surviving parish registers date back to 1544. An infamous historical resident of Le Faouët is Marion du Faouët, the head of an eighteenth-century group of bandits who became a local

bogeyman The Bogeyman (; also spelled boogeyman, bogyman, bogieman, boogie monster, boogieman, or boogie woogie) is a type of mythic creature used by adults to frighten children into good behavior. Bogeymen have no specific appearance and conceptions var ...

after her death.

Administration

Until 2015, Le Faouët/Ar Faoued was the seat of the canton of Le Faouët, that consisted of 6 communes.Populations légales 2012: 56 Morbihan
INSEE Since the 2015 canton reorganisation, it is part of the canton of Gourin.

Demographics

Inhabitants of Le Faouët are called ''Faouëtais''.

Breton language

In 2008, 14,24% of the children attended the bilingual schools in primary education. ''Ofis ar Brezhoneg''
''Enseignement bilingue''
/ref>

Tourist attractions

The sixteenth century ''halles'', or covered market, remain in use and are a rare surviving example of a large timber structure from the period. The chapel of

Saint Barbara Saint Barbara ( grc, Ἁγία Βαρβάρα; cop, Ϯⲁⲅⲓⲁ Ⲃⲁⲣⲃⲁⲣⲁ; ; ), known in the Eastern Orthodox Church as the Great Martyr Barbara, was an early Christian Lebanese and Greek saint and martyr. Accounts place her in t ...

is sited on a hilltop overlooking the Ellé. The fifteenth century chapel of

Saint Fiacre Saint Fiacre ( ga, Fiachra, la, Fiacrius) is the name of three different Irish saints, the most famous of which is Saint Fiacre of Breuil (c. AD 600 – 18 August 670), the Catholic priest, abbot, hermit, and gardener of the seventh century ...

was recently restored. The

polychrome Polychrome is the "practice of decorating architectural elements, sculpture, etc., in a variety of colors." The term is used to refer to certain styles of architecture, pottery or sculpture in multiple colors. Ancient Egypt Colossal statu ...

timber interior was highly regarded, and earned its creator, Olivier Le Loergan, a title of nobility. The stained glass is also noteworthy. Parts of the interior have suffered considerable damage from insects. Chapelle Sainte Barbe Le Fouët (56)

References

External links

* Communes of Morbihan {{Morbihan-geo-stub