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Locmariaquer (; br, Lokmaria-Kaer) 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 in
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 France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. It lies south of
Auray Auray (; br, An Alre, or simply ) is a commune in the Morbihan department, administrative region of Brittany, northwestern France. Inhabitants of Auray are called ''Alréens'' (French) and ''Alreiz'' (Breton). Geography The city is surrounde ...
by road.


Coat of arms

This coat of arms was created 30 years ago by the local artist Jean-Baptiste Corlobé. The arms portray: *upper portion of shield: a silver dolmen on a sinople field *central band: ermine banner, recalling that Locmariaquer is at the heart of Brittany. *lower band: and a gold sailboat on blue field All are surmounted by a baronial crown (Locmariaquer was part of the former barony of Kaër). It bears the
Breton language Breton (, ; or in Morbihan) is a Southwestern Brittonic language of the Celtic language family spoken in Brittany, part of modern-day France. It is the only Celtic language still widely in use on the European mainland, albeit as a member of ...
motto: "Kaër e mem bro" which can be interpreted in two ways: "Kaër is my country" or "my country is beautiful" (the phrase originated with JM François Jacob in 1933).


Toponymy

From the Breton ''loc'' which means hermitage (cf.:
Locminé Locminé (; br, Logunec'h) is a commune in the Morbihan department and Brittany region of north-western France. Toponymy The name Locminé comes from the Breton ''Loc'h menec'h'', itself from the Latin ''Locus monachorum'' – (sacred) place ...
), ''
Maria Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial * 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 * Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...
'' and ''kaer'' which means ''nice'' or more likely from the Old Breton ''caer'' (Modern Breton, ker) which means ''fortified place, city''.


Geography and culture

The municipality of Locmariaquer is located at the western tip of the
Gulf of Morbihan The Gulf of Morbihan is a natural harbour on the coast of the department of Morbihan in southern Brittany, France. Its English name is taken from the French version, ''le golfe du Morbihan'', though it would be more precisely called 'the Mo ...
in Brittany and has many
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, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shells ...
facing the
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
and the bay
Quiberon Quiberon (; , ) is a commune in the French department of Morbihan, administrative region of Brittany, western France. It is situated on the southern part of the Quiberon peninsula, the northern part being the commune of Saint-Pierre-Quiberon. It ...
. This small town contains the
Locmariaquer megaliths The Locmariaquer megaliths are a complex of Neolithic constructions in Locmariaquer, Brittany. They comprise the elaborate Er-Grah tumulus passage grave, a dolmen known as the ''Table des Marchand'' and "The Broken Menhir of Er Grah", the larges ...
, some of the most significant neolithic remains in Europe, including the Broken Menhir of Er Grah, the largest known single block of stone to have been transported and erected by
Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several pa ...
man. It is beside the ''Table des Marchands'', a dolmen with notable carvings. In the nineteenth century it became the home of the writer
Zénaïde Fleuriot Zénaïde-Marie-Anne Fleuriot (28 October 1829 – 19 December 1890), was a French novelist. She wrote eighty three novels, all aimed at young women, most of which were published in the series Bibliothèque rose and Bibliothèque bleue. Her writin ...
, who idealised it in her novels. A large statue of the madonna and child was built at Pointe de Kerperhir to commemorate a miracle in which the Madonna is supposed to have warned sailors of a forthcoming storm by appearing at the spot. The statue was destroyed in
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, but replaced by a new work by
Jules-Charles Le Bozec Jules-Charles Le Bozec (1898–1973) was a French sculptor, whose work reflects a commitment to the local design traditions of his native province of Brittany. Biography Le Bozec was born in Saint-Mayeux, Côtes-d'Armor, Brittany. He was appren ...
after the war. In more recent times the town has become one of the most important oyster fisheries in France. It is known for its giant Belon oysters. Towns bordering on the
Canton of Auray The canton of Auray 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. As a result the number of communes in the cant ...
: Saint-Philibert and
Crac'h Crac'h (official French name: ''Crach'', ) or ''Krac'h'' in Breton () is a commune in the Morbihan department of Brittany in north-western France. Demographics Inhabitants of Crac'h are called in French ''Crachois'' and in Breton ''Krac'hiz'' ...


Demographics

As of 2019, the village had a population of .


Breton language

The municipality launched a linguistic plan through
Ya d'ar brezhoneg (french: Oui au breton, en, Yes to Breton) is a campaign started in the 21st century by the ( en, Office of the Breton language) to promote and stimulate the use of the Breton language in daily life in Brittany, northwestern France. Breton is a ...
on November 26, 2008.


Economy

Locmariaquer has a small
port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...
, but is one of the most important
oyster Oyster is the common name for a number of different families of salt-water bivalve molluscs that live in marine or brackish habitats. In some species, the valves are highly calcified, and many are somewhat irregular in shape. Many, but not ...
producing areas in the world, due to its production of the finest and possibly the rarest oyster types.


History of oyster farming

The ancient Romans knew of the existence of deposits of natural edible
oyster Oyster is the common name for a number of different families of salt-water bivalve molluscs that live in marine or brackish habitats. In some species, the valves are highly calcified, and many are somewhat irregular in shape. Many, but not ...
s (or flat oyster) (''Ostrea edulis'', Linn.), but it was not until the late 19th century that
oyster farming Oyster farming is an aquaculture (or mariculture) practice in which oysters are bred and raised mainly for their pearls, shells and inner organ tissue, which is eaten. Oyster farming was practiced by the ancient Romans as early as the 1st century ...
started. The municipality of Locmariaquer was then regarded as the cradle of the edible oyster. The first concessions in the Auray River were issued in 1882.Locmariaquer. La famille Percevault, dans l'ostréiculture depuis 1874
/ref> Three generations devoted themselves to building oyster parks on the shores of Locmariaquer: they had to remove the mud, replace it with sand, and map out the locations. Their job was to collect the spat (oyster larvae) clime coat the tiles or stakes and to take off or (''détroquage'') the growing areas and then sow the young oysters in parks for breeding for a duration of three years, during which there was a need to protect oysters against predators, algae, toxins, and storms. After 1927, Locmariaquer specialized mainly in the reproduction and the half-rearing of the oysters. After growing them to half size they were shipped off to Marennes, Holland England and Spain. The oyster industry grew to be very prosperous: 350 to 400 people worked in the construction of sites and parks almost all year round. However, in 1973–1974, flat oysters in the Gulf of Morbihan were decimated or destroyed by parasites. They were then replaced by cultivated oysters of Japanese origin, ''Crassostrea gigas''). Today, ''Locmariaquérois'' oyster farmers are cultivating
Pacific oyster The Pacific oyster, Japanese oyster, or Miyagi oyster (''Magallana gigas''), is an oyster native to the Pacific coast of Asia. It has become an introduced species in North America, Australia, Europe, and New Zealand. Etymology The genus ''Mag ...
s in the Gulf and River St Philibert. The crop and livestocks of the flat oyster are mainly in the Bay of Quiberon. Despite mechanization tests, the need of manpower is still high, both in culture itself and the pre-marketing operations (refining, sizing, etc.). As of 2008, thirty oyster farms still existed around Locmariaquer. They occupied about fifty people full-time, as well as seasonal workers in October to May. Sales to wholesalers, retailers or directly to consumers were handled individually by the farms. A careful observer might find a few vendors selling the old original Plattes oysters.


Villages and landmarks

Bellevue, Coët Courzo, Coët Er Roué, Fetanstirec, Keranlay, Kercadoret, Kerdaniel, Keréré, Kergolvan, Kerguerec, Kerhelle, Kerhern, Kerhuiltan, Keriaval, Kerigan, Kerinis, Kerivaud, Kerjean, Kerlavarec, Kerlogonan, Kerlud, Kerouarch, Kerpenhir, Kerveresse, Lann Brick, Lann Y Nis, Le Brénéguy, Le Guilvin, Le Lézard, Le Moustoir, Le Nélud, Le Palud, Le Pont Er Lenn, Le Vinglé, Les Pierres Plates, Locquidy, Mané-Lud, Pointe de Kerpenhir, Pointe Er Hourel, Pointe Erlong, Pointe Er Ville, Pont Er Vugale, Rouick, Saint-Pierre Loperet, Scarpoche and Toul Y Niss.


Gallery

Image:vue_generale_locmariaquer.JPG, Overview of the Port Image:PasserelleMaraisLocmariaquer.jpg, Gateway through the "le Brénéguy" marshes. Image:MaisonLocmariaquer.JPG, The pink house called "le Brénéguy"


Sights

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...
remains are to be seen, but the place owes its celebrity to the
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. There are over 35,000 in Europe alone, located widely from Sweden to the Mediterranean sea. The ...
ic monuments in the vicinity, some of which are among the largest extant.


Religious heritage

;Notre Dame de Kerdro Of romanesque style, this church was built between 1082 and 1120 by the monks 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 ...
. Today, only the
transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform ("cross-shaped") building with ...
and the
choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...
of the original building remain. On the exterior one can read the inscription ''Hic Domus Dei'' (Here is the house of God). This section presents external walls of an archaic stonework (intercalation of Roman cubic stone, bricks and scattered bricks of Roman origin). The south gate is protected by an advanced porch whose wooden ceiling was removed in 1988, showing a
cartouche In Egyptian hieroglyphs, a cartouche is an oval with a line at one end tangent to it, indicating that the text enclosed is a royal name. The first examples of the cartouche are associated with pharaohs at the end of the Third Dynasty, but the f ...
bearing the words ''Haec Porta Coelli'' (Here is the door of heaven). Near the southern entrance, in the wall is included a superb granite
baptismal font A baptismal font is an article of church furniture used for baptism. Aspersion and affusion fonts The fonts of many Christian denominations are for baptisms using a non-immersive method, such as aspersion (sprinkling) or affusion (pouring). ...
, decorated with leaves and grapes, going back to the 16th century. Inside, the greatest interest of the church resides in its surviving Romanesque features. The transept and
apse In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an '' exedra''. ...
were included in supplementary inventory of ''
Monument historique ''Monument historique'' () is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which National Heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a col ...
'' by decree of 24 April 1925. In 1960, The twelve windows were equipped with modern stained glass, created by the firm of Rault,
glass Glass is a non- crystalline, often transparent, amorphous solid that has widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in, for example, window panes, tableware, and optics. Glass is most often formed by rapid cooling (quenchin ...
maker in
Rennes Rennes (; br, Roazhon ; Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France at the confluence of the Ille and the Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine departme ...
. The motifs of the seven windows of the
nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-typ ...
and transept are abstract, the five windows of the choir presenting figurative images: * boat and fish (fishing), * wheat (agriculture), * the acronym NDK (for ''Notre Dame de Kerdro''), * bunch of tiles (oyster farming), * dolmen and menhirs (megaliths). These windows are admired by most visitors for their great sobriety and their remarkable brightness. ;Chapelle du Moustoir Rebuilt in 1883, the chapel is dedicated to
Saint Gildas Gildas ( Breton: ''Gweltaz''; c. 450/500 – c. 570) — also known as Gildas the Wise or ''Gildas Sapiens'' — was a 6th-century British monk best known for his scathing religious polemic ''De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae'', which recount ...
, but also to Father Claude Philippe, a non-juring priest, who died in 1796 and was buried in this place. The chapel is located north of the town; it was fully restored in recent years by an association that continues to ensure its maintenance. Each year, on the last Sunday of June, a
Pardon A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the j ...
and a
Fest Noz A Fest Noz ( Breton for ''night festival'') is a Breton traditional festival, with dancing in groups and live musicians playing acoustic instruments. Although it is all too easy to write off the ' and ''fêtes folkloriques'' as modern invention ...
are organized. ;Chapelle Saint-Pierre-Loperec Built in 1772, this chapel was built to celebrate Mass and organize a Pardon for the survivors of shipwrecks, of which there were many at the time. It can be visited in summer and during the traditional annual Pardon on the first Sunday of July. ;Chapelle Saint-Michel The chapel was built in 1749 by Christophe Paul De Robien, Baron de Kaër who previously acquired the former chapel built on Gallo-Roman ruins. When the foundations of the present chapel were built, a quantity of medallions bearing the effigy of Caesar and other motifs were found. Today, the chapel looks like a rectangular building 14 metres long and 7 meters wide. On its portal is a decoration depicting three lily flowers in relief and a stone bearing the date 1813 and a damaged patch representing the arms of Robien. During the summer months of July and August "friends of the chapel" association has chosen to use the chapel for exhibitions of contemporary art, at the same time highlighting the work of restoration carried out in 1986. ;Statue of the Virgin ''Notre-Dame de Kerdro'' Built on the rocks at the edge of Kerpenhir in 1962: 2.70 m high, it was carved in granite by
Jules-Charles Le Bozec Jules-Charles Le Bozec (1898–1973) was a French sculptor, whose work reflects a commitment to the local design traditions of his native province of Brittany. Biography Le Bozec was born in Saint-Mayeux, Côtes-d'Armor, Brittany. He was appren ...
in 1946 but spent 16 years in the church before being moved to its present location. It replaces a statue erected in 1883 and destroyed by the Germans along with the fort during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
.


Civil heritage

Land of legends and mysteries, Locmariaquer is home to a remarkable concentration of megaliths. Just like nearby Carnac, the city holds unique and rare monuments dating from the Neolithic period. Here men have left a legacy of prestigious burial structures prefiguring the era of the great pyramids. The Great Menhir of Er Grah, the Table of Merchants, the mounds of Er Grah and many other monuments decorate the landscape of Locmariaquer.


Megaliths

*
Broken Menhir of Er Grah The Locmariaquer megaliths are a complex of Neolithic constructions in Locmariaquer, Brittany. They comprise the elaborate Er-Grah tumulus passage grave, a dolmen known as the ''Table des Marchand'' and "The Broken Menhir of Er Grah", the larges ...
, the largest
menhir A menhir (from Brittonic languages: ''maen'' or ''men'', "stone" and ''hir'' or ''hîr'', "long"), standing stone, orthostat, or lith is a large human-made upright stone, typically dating from the European middle Bronze Age. They can be found ...
in the world, at nearly 20m, is currently broken into 4 pieces. * Cairn from la Table des Marchand * Tumulus d'Er Grah * Les Pierres Plates (the flat stones), cubit long driveway covered nearly 25 m.. * House and mounds of Mané Retual *
Dolmen A dolmen () or portal tomb is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more upright megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or "table". Most date from the early Neolithic (40003000 BCE) and were some ...
Kercadoret * Dolmen Kerveresse * Dolmen Mané Lud Image:Bretagne_Morbihan_Locmariaquer_14015.jpg, Grand Menhir Image:Bretagne_Morbihan_Locmariaquer_14018.jpg, Grand Menhir Image:Bretagne_Morbihan_Locmariaquer_14020.jpg, Grand Menhir Image:Bretagne_Morbihan_Locmariaquer_14017.jpg, Grand Menhir + Table des Marchand Image:Bretagne_Morbihan_Locmariaquer_14011.jpg, Table des Marchand Image:Locmariaquer Table des Marchand (interieur).jpg, Table des Marchand: inside the burial chamber Image:Dolmen du Mané Lud Jean-Charles GUILLO.JPG, Dolmen du Mané Lud Image:Mané_Retual_à_Locmariaquer_Jean-Charles_GUILLO.JPG, Dolmen du Mané Retual Image:Dolmen de Kercadoret à Locmariaquer Jean-Charles GUILLO.JPG, Dolmen de Kercadoret Image:Les_pierres_plates_Jean-Charles_GUILLO.JPG, Les Pierres Plates Image:Les Pierres Plates Jean-Charles GUILLO.JPG, Les Pierres Plates Image:Gravure Les Pierres Plates Jean-Charles GUILLO.JPG, Les Pierres Plates


See also

* Carnac Stones *
Communes of the Morbihan department The following is a list of the 249 communes of the Morbihan department of France. The communes cooperate in the following intercommunalities (as of 2022):Eleanor Clark Eleanor Clark (1913 – 1996) was an American writer and "master stylist," best known for her non-fiction accounts. Background Eleanor Clark was born on July 6, 1913, in Los Angeles, California, but grew up in Roxbury, Connecticut. She ...
, who won the
National Book Award The National Book Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. The Nat ...
in 1965 for her work on the history, culture, and oyster industry in this Breton seaport.


External links


Official site
* {{authority control Communes of Morbihan Populated coastal places in Brittany