Le Faouët (; ) is a commune in the

Morbihan The Morbihan ( , ; ) is a departments of France, department in the administrative region of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany, situated in the northwest of France. It is named after the Gulf of Morbihan, Morbihan (''small sea'' in Breton ...

department of the

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

in north-western

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. The 16th-century timber market hall is a noted feature of the town, and two medieval chapels lie within the boundaries of the commune.

Toponymy

''Faoued'' (French: ''Faouët'') is a Breton word meaning "beech forest".

Geography

Le Faouët/Ar Faoued is north of

Quimperlé Quimperlé (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Finistère Departments of France, department, region of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany, northwestern France. Geography Quimperlé is in the southeast of Finistère, 20 km t ...

, northwest of

Lorient Lorient (; ) is a town (''Communes of France, commune'') and Port, seaport in the Morbihan Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in western France. History Prehistory and classical antiquity Beginn ...

and east of

Quimper Quimper (, ; ; or ) is a Communes of France, commune and Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Finistère Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in northwestern France. Administration Quimper is the ...

. It lies in the historical region of

Cornouaille Cornouaille (; , ) 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 princes from Cornwall ...

. Traditionally a Breton-speaking area, the

French language French ( or ) is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European family. Like all other Romance languages, it descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire. French evolved from Northern Old Gallo-R ...

became commonly used from the 1950s. The town lies in the valley of the river

Ellé The Ellé (; ) 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 ''département in France, départe ...

. 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 16th-century timber market halls.

Map

List of places

History

The oldest surviving parish registers date back to

1544 __NOTOC__ Events January–March * January 4 – In India, Maldeo Rathore, King of Marwar (now part of the state of Rajasthan) is tricked by counterintelligence spread by Mughal Empire, Mughal Emperor and Afghan Shah Sher Shah Su ...

. An infamous historical resident of Le Faouët is

Marion du Faouët Marie-Louise Tromel, better known as Marion du Faouët or Marie Finefont, born on , was the leader of a group of highwaymen who were active near Le Faouët, Morbihan, Brittany. She was arrested four times, and once hanged in effigy. She was fina ...

, the head of an 18th-century group of bandits who became a local

bogeyman The bogeyman (; also spelled or known as bogyman, bogy, bogey, and, in US English, also boogeyman) is a mythical creature typically used to frighten children into good behavior. Bogeymen have no specific appearances, and conceptions vary drast ...

after her death.

Administration

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

canton of Gourin The canton of Gourin is an administrative division of the Morbihan department, northwestern France. Its borders were modified at the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015. Its seat is in Gourin. It consists of the foll ...

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 16th-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 (; ; ; ), known in the Eastern Orthodox Church as the Great Martyr Barbara, was an Early Christianity, early Christian Greek saint and martyr. There is no reference to her in the authentic early Christian writings nor in the origin ...

is sited on a hilltop overlooking the Ellé. The 15th-century chapel of

Saint Fiacre Fiacre (, ) is the name of three different Irish saints, the most famous of which is Fiacre of Breuil (c. AD 600 – 18 August 670), the priest, abbot, hermit, and gardener of the seventh century who was famous for his sanctity and skill in ...

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. When looking at artworks and ...

timber interior was highly regarded, and earned its creator, Olivier Le Loergan, a title of nobility. The

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

is also noteworthy. Parts of the interior have suffered considerable damage from insects.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Faouet, Le Communes of Morbihan