Sarzeau (; ) 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

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 ...

. It is located on the

Rhuys The Rhuys Peninsula (, ) is located in the ''département'' of Morbihan in the region of Brittany in northwestern France. Three communes are located on the peninsula: * Sarzeau, the largest, covering 50% of the area of the peninsula * Arzon * ...

peninsula between the

Gulf of Morbihan The Gulf of Morbihan (, ; ) is a natural harbour on the coast of the departments of France, department of Morbihan in southern Brittany, France. Its English name is taken from the French language, French version, ''le golfe du Morbihan'', t ...

and the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

History

The area around the

has been occupied since

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

times. Prehistoric monuments remaining include the

menhirs A menhir (; from Brittonic languages: ''maen'' or ''men'', "stone" and ''hir'' or ''hîr'', "long"), standing stone, orthostat, or lith is a large upright stone, emplaced in the ground by humans, typically dating from the European middle Bro ...

of Kermaillard and Largueven, as well as the

dolmen A dolmen, () or portal tomb, is a type of single-chamber Megalith#Tombs, megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more upright megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or "table". Most date from the Late Neolithic period (4000 ...

s of Kergillet and Brillac. The town itself was first mentioned in the 11th century in reference to an abbey at the sit

The nearby Château de Suscinio was built in the 13th century and fortified in the 15th century. The castle was a favorite spot of the Dukes of Brittany who often came for the hunting in the surrounding regio

During the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, because of its size the town was divided into seven local divisions, a situation that still exists to some extent. The town officially became a commune during the French Revolution. Sarzeau was the birthplace of

Alain-René Lesage Alain-René Lesage (; 6 May 166817 November 1747; older spelling Le Sage) was a French novelist and playwright. Lesage is best known for his comic novel '' The Devil upon Two Sticks'' (1707, ''Le Diable boiteux''), his comedy '' Turcaret'' (170 ...

(1668–1747), the author of novel '' The Devil upon Two Sticks'' (1707), his comedy ''

Turcaret ''Turcaret'' (or ''Le Financier'') is a comedy by Alain-René Lesage, first produced on 14 February 1709 at the Comédie-Française in Paris. It is considered one of Lesage's most important works. The play shows clear signs of having been writ ...

'' (1709) and his

picaresque novel The picaresque novel ( Spanish: ''picaresca'', from ''pícaro'', for ' rogue' or 'rascal') is a genre of prose fiction. It depicts the adventures of a roguish but appealing hero, usually of low social class, who lives by his wits in a corrup ...

'' Gil Blas'', (1715–1735). The famed tub of

Jean-Paul Marat Jean-Paul Marat (, , ; born Jean-Paul Mara; 24 May 1743 – 13 July 1793) was a French political theorist, physician, and scientist. A journalist and politician during the French Revolution, he was a vigorous defender of the ''sans-culottes ...

was found in Sarzeau after a lengthy search by

Le Figaro () is a French daily morning newspaper founded in 1826. It was named after Figaro, a character in several plays by polymath Pierre Beaumarchais, Beaumarchais (1732–1799): ''Le Barbier de Séville'', ''The Guilty Mother, La Mère coupable'', ...

in 1885. Following its rediscovery the tub was purchased by the

Musée Grévin The ' (; ) () is a wax museum located on the Grands Boulevards in the 9th arrondissement of Paris on the right bank of the Seine. The also has a location in Seoul. opened in 2013, and closed in 2021. History The museum was founded in 1882 by ...

for 5,000 francs.

Population

Inhabitants of Sarzeau are called in French ''Sarzeautins''.

Sights

* The Château de Suscinio is a 13th-century castle that has recently been restored. Inside there is also a museum on the history of the area. * The Château de Kerlevenan is an 18th-century castle with large gardens. * Museum of Arts et Métiers and Cider Museum. *

Menhirs A menhir (; from Brittonic languages: ''maen'' or ''men'', "stone" and ''hir'' or ''hîr'', "long"), standing stone, orthostat, or lith is a large upright stone, emplaced in the ground by humans, typically dating from the European middle Bro ...

of Kermaillard and Largueven, and the

s of Kergillet and Brillac. * Beaches, especially along the Atlantic side.

Sport

Stage four of the 2018 Tour de France finished in the town.

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 20 December 2006. In 2008, there was 4,59% of the children attended the bilingual schools in primary education. ''Ofis ar Brezhoneg''
''Enseignement bilingue''
/ref>

References

External links

*
Château de SuscinioMuseums around Sarzeau

Mayors of Morbihan Association
Communes of Morbihan Seaside resorts in France {{Morbihan-geo-stub