Saint-Pol-de-Léon (; ) is a commune in the

Finistère Finistère (, ; ) is a Departments of France, department of France in the extreme west of Brittany. Its prefecture is Quimper and its largest city is Brest, France, Brest. In 2019, it had a population of 915,090.department in

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, located on the coast. It is noted for its 13th-century

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

on the site of the original founded by Saint

Paul Aurelian Paul Aurelian (known in Breton as Paol Aorelian or Saint Pol de Léon and in Latin as Paulinus Aurelianus) was a 6th-century Welshman who became first bishop of the See of Léon and one of the seven founder saints of Brittany. He allegedly die ...

in the 6th century. It has kept a unique architecture, such as Notre-Dame du Kreisker Chapel, an 80 m high chapel, which is the highest in Brittany. It was also the scene of a battle during the

Breton War of Succession The War of the Breton Succession (, ) or Breton Civil War was a conflict between the Counts of Blois and the Montforts of Brittany for control of the Duchy of Brittany, then a fief of the Kingdom of France. It was fought between 1341 and ...

, where the Montfortists and their English allies defeated an army led by

Charles of Blois Charles of Blois-Châtillon (131929 September 1364), nicknamed "the Saint", was the legalist Duke of Brittany from 1341 until his death, via his marriage to Joan, Duchess of Brittany and Countess of Penthièvre, holding the title against the ...

. It is the largest vegetable producer and farmers market in

responsible for 90% of French

artichoke The artichoke (''Cynara cardunculus'' var. ''scolymus''),Rottenberg, A., and D. Zohary, 1996: "The wild ancestry of the cultivated artichoke." Genet. Res. Crop Evol. 43, 53–58. also known by the other names: French artichoke, globe artichoke, ...

production and exports tens of thousands of vegetables to the whole of Europe every year.

Population

Inhabitants of Saint-Pol-de-Léon are called ''Saintpolitains''.

History

The city takes its present name of one of the legendary founder saints of Brittany: Saint Paul Aurelian. The

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

name given to the entire region is now the Leon ("Pays Léonard"). It was long the seat of a bishop, now merged into the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Quimper The Diocese of Quimper (–Cornouaille) and Léon (Latin: ''Dioecesis Corisopitensis (–Cornubiensis) et Leonensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Quimper (–Cornouaille) et Léon'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Cathol ...

. The city later became a sort of religious capital.

Gallo-Roman walls

A double stone-alley, quite well preserved, is the last remains of prehistoric population on Saint Pol site. Several vestiges demonstrate a Roman military presence in the 3rd century. Based on ancient writings, Saint Pol would have then been enclosed by extraordinary high moated walls.

14th century

Battle of St Pol de Léon A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force c ...

Religious centre

As of the 6th century, the monastery site became an episcopate named "Kastell Paol". The city then extended beyond its walls. In the 15th century, Saint Pol de Léon is a famous spiritual and cultural centre. The Pempoul harbour is at its rise. Fortified doors protected the 2000 inhabitants until the 18th century. During the 18th century, the bishops of Léon strongly influenced the architectural style of the city. A new

episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United States ...

house was erected in 1706 and extended in 1750. The seminary dates from 1708, the catholic college from 1788.

French Revolution

During the French Revolution the city lost the episcopate, a rich chapter, a college, 3 religious communities, a retirement house and 15 religious houses. Then started 100 years of economical decline. "Today Saint Pol de Léon is a dead city" was

Flaubert Gustave Flaubert ( , ; ; 12 December 1821 – 8 May 1880) was a French novelist. He has been considered the leading exponent of literary realism in his country and abroad. According to the literary theorist Kornelije Kvas, "in Flaubert, realis ...

's assessment in 1847.

19th and 20th centuries

As of 1883, the railway contributed to the considerable expansion of the agricultural production. In 1890 Saint Pol de Léon became the main commercial centre in France for vegetable exportation. Nowadays, the region is still the strongest concentration for horticultural production and transformation.

Sights

Kreisker chapel The Notre-Dame du Kreisker chapel ( Breton: ''Chapel Itron-Varia ar C'hreiz-kêr''; French: ''Chapelle Notre-Dame du Kreisker'') is a Roman Catholic chapel in Saint-Pol-de-Léon in Brittany, France. The tower of the "Chapelle du Kreisker" is t ...

, 14th and 15th centuries, is the highest steeple in all

. Norman and British influences are visible on the architecture of this classified historic monument. * The Saint Paul Aurélien cathedral, with its Roman remains is also a testimony of the influence of Norman artistic style on Breton architecture in the 13th century. organ Dallam (17th century) *

Townhall Townhall is an American conservative website, print magazine and radio news service. Katie Pavlich is Editor. Previously published by The Heritage Foundation, it is now owned and operated by Salem Communications. The website features more than ...

, built in 1706, the new

Episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United States ...

palace, these days the town hall, was extended in 1750. In the town hall there is a monumental

staircase A stairwell or stair room is a room in a building where a stair is located, and is used to connect walkways between floors so that one can move in height. Collectively, a set of stairs and a stairwell is referred to as a staircase or stairway ...

ornamented with some paintings from the

Louvre Museum The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

. * The Prebendal house, built for a rich canon whose income, the "Prébendes" came from taxes, this exceptional house of the 16th century is of Breton Renaissance style. * Kéroulas manor. This small castle was erected for a noble canon around 1520. Its lay-out and decoration are a perfect example of the architectural style of

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

, as in most rural mansions around Saint Pol. * The St-Joseph chapel was built in 1846 to serve as a place of worship for the adjoining newly opened retirement home giving lodging to the elderly priests of the diocese. The church tower, 33m high, comes from the former

Ursulines The Ursulines, also known as the Order of Saint Ursula (post-nominals: OSU), is an enclosed religious order of women that in 1572 branched off from the Angelines, also known as the Company of Saint Ursula. The Ursulines trace their origins to th ...

convent founded in 1630. * The St-Pierre chapel, formerly a parish church, which towers above the cemetery boasts a 15th-century nave. Designed originally in the shape of a Latin cross, its two wings were removed in the 17th century. *

Megalith A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. More than 35,000 megalithic structures have been identified across Europe, ranging geographically f ...

of Boutouiller. * Kernevez castle and park * Kersaliou castle *

Laundries Laundry is the washing of clothing and other textiles, and, more broadly, their drying and ironing as well. Laundry has been part of history since humans began to wear clothes, so the methods by which different cultures have dealt with this uni ...

Coast

Scattered over 13 kilometres of coast line, some of the

beaches A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from Rock (geology), rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle beach, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological s ...

, creeks and strands of St Pol de Léon have names of pieces of poetry : "Tahiti", le "Petit-Nice", "Sainte-Anne"... The walker discovers them from the panoramic viewpoint of the "Champ de la Rive" municipal park, which is overhung by a mission cross erected in 1901. The panorama is the most exceptional of the North-Finistère. All along the coast, a footpath will give you a unique view on the changing Channel, the Bloscon deep harbour of

Roscoff Roscoff ( , ; ) is a commune in the Finistère département of Brittany in northwestern France. Roscoff is renowned for its picturesque architecture, labelled (small town of character) since 2009. Roscoff is also a traditional departure point ...

, the Callot island with its chapel near

Carantec Carantec (; ) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France. Carantec is located on the coast of the English Channel. It contains a small island within its boundaries, Île Callot, which can be reached by a caus ...

. The boats, most of which of traditional construction, lie there awaiting for the flow to come. The sailing school at the end of the "Groue" pier proposes multiple sea activities for beginners or experienced users.

St. Anne islet

The Sainte-Anne islet a listed natural site and hermitage of the White Friars until the 18th century, the gigantic rock on the site, was once armed with cannons. Natural preserved site, where nothing remains of the chapel built in 1640. It is linked to the continent by natural bank of sand and pebbles, tarmacked in the 1970s. The "Groue" is the sediment strand which links the coast to the Sainte Anne island, forming the bay of Pempoul with its ashore harbour. The islet always played an essential role in the protection of the bay and the harbour of Pempoul.

Breton language

*The municipality launched a linguistic plan through

Ya d'ar brezhoneg (, ) is a campaign started in the 21st century by the () to promote and stimulate the use of the Breton language in daily life in Brittany, northwestern France. Breton is a Brythonic Celtic language which has fallen out of general use since the ...

on 2 December 2008. *In 2008, 19.67% of primary-school children attended bilingual schools. ''Ofis ar Brezhoneg''
''Enseignement bilingue''
/ref>

Notable people

* Goulven of Léon, saint and bishop * Gérard Jaffrès (born 1956), musician, singer, songwriter * Louis Floch (born 1947), soccer player *

Jean-Gilles du Coëtlosquet Jean-Gilles du Coëtlosquet (15 September 1700, Saint-Pol-de-Léon – 21 March 1784, Paris) was a French ecclesiastic, bishop of Limoges and preceptor to the grandchildren of Louis XV. Biography Chancellor of Bourges, he served as bishop of L ...

(1770–1784), bishop * Romuald Figuier (born 1941), singer * Fanny Raoul (1771-1833), feminist writer, journalist, philosopher and essayist * Bleuniadur, traditional group of dance and music

International relations

Saint-Pol-de-Léon is twinned with *

Penarth Penarth ( , ) is a town and Community (Wales), community in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, approximately south of Cardiff city centre on the west shore of the Severn Estuary at the southern end of Cardiff Bay. Penarth is a Seaside resort#Brit ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, United Kingdom *

Vechta Vechta (; Northern Low Saxon: ''Vechte'') is the capital and largest city of the Vechta (district), Vechta district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is home to the University of Vechta. It is known for the 'Stoppelmarkt' fair, which takes place every ...

, Germany

Climate

References

Documentation

External links

Official website

Cultural Heritage

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saintpoldeleon Communes of Finistère Osismii