Bigouden ( Breton: ''Bro-Vigoudenn''; French: ''Pays Bigouden''), historically known as Cap Caval, is, along the Bay of Audierne, the most south-western area of ''Bro Kernev'' 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 ...

, south-west 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 ...

, defined since 1790 in the French department of

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. ''Gallica''
''Brittany & Its Byways p. 258''
/ref> By the end of the 19th century, the name then slipped to designate the women of the area, then to describe all its inhabitants. It has since been formalised within the administration and promotion of the region.

Geography

This traditional area constitutes since the French revolution a grouping of three cantons: Guilvinec,

Pont-l'Abbé Pont-l'Abbé (; , "Abbot's bridge") is a Communes of France, commune in the Finistère Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in north-western France. The self-styled capital of Pays Bigouden (roughly th ...

and Plogastel-Saint-Germain. Its capital is

. The Bigouden is currently divided into two communities of communes: ''Communauté de communes du Pays Bigouden Sud'' and ''Communauté de communes du Haut Pays Bigouden''. Some recent debates put forward the question of joining these two entities.

Cultural distinctiveness

The distinctive customs and costumes of the area have attracted artists and ethnologists since the late eighteenth century, leading to some idiosyncratic theories such as the claim that the locals descended from pre-Celtic aboriginal inhabitants of Brittany or that "physiognomic similarities" to Mongolians indicate descent from an ancient Asian race. During the nineteenth century local costumes became increasingly elaborate and colourful. Especially famous was the tall lace bonnet worn by the women, which covered only the top of the skull and extended to a triangle of fabric mounted on a base. These were embroidered with patterns of flowers. Mrs Bury Pallister, writing in 1869, described it as follows, By around 1900 this had evolved into a tall sugarloaf shape. In the early twentieth century the cap became even taller, reaching fifteen to twenty centimeters in the late 1920s and even taller just after the Second World War. Until 2000, the cap has hovered between 30 and 35 centimeters in height by 12-14 centimeters wide at the base. René Quillivic's statue ''La Bigoudène'' at Pors-Poulhan depicts a woman wearing the headdress. It marks the border between Pays Bigouden and Cap Sizun. Pêr-Jakez Helias, a major Breton writer of the 20th century, was from the Bigouden. The traditional language of the Bigouden region is Breton, specifically the Cornouaille dialect, although usage has declined in recent decades due to language shift and urbanization. Revitalization efforts are ongoing through local schools and cultural associations.

Flag

A flag of the Bigouden was created in 1992 as part of the local promotion of the area. It was designed by Bernard Le Brun at the request of the ''Association de Promotion du Pays bigouden''. It comprises three parts. The left includes heraldic ermines, representing the twenty Bigoudène communes (formerly 22). The golden colour represents the art of gold embroidery, which once dominated the region. The three orange stripes on the right recall the three cantons of the area.Drapeau des Pays Bigouden
/ref>

Notes

{{coord, 47.8672, N, 4.2231, W, source:wikidata, display=title Geography of Brittany Geography of Finistère