Pont-l'Abbé
Encyclopedia
Pont-l'Abbé is a commune
in the Finistère
department of Brittany in north-western France
.
The self-styled capital of Pays Bigouden
(roughly the region between the river Odet
and the Bay of Audierne), Pont-l'Abbé was founded in the 14th century by a monk of Loctudy
who built the first bridge across the river estuary, hence the name. The same monk also built the first castle.
Pont-l'Abbistes.
on February 2, 2008.
In 2008, 5.08% of primary-school children attended bilingual schools.
The Fête des Brodeuses (Embroideress' Festival) in July is one of Brittany's major traditional gatherings, and includes a Breton Mass at the Notre-Dame des Carmes church.
, the trader
formerly with Société Générale
in Paris
that was linked with losses of approximately €
4.9 billion (US$
7.16 billion) stemming from fraudulent equity index futures trading, grew up in Pont-l'Abbé.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Finistère
Finistère
Finistère is a département of France, in the extreme west of Brittany.-History:The name Finistère derives from the Latin Finis Terræ, meaning end of the earth, and may be compared with Land's End on the opposite side of the English Channel...
department of Brittany in north-western France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
The self-styled capital of Pays Bigouden
Pays Bigouden
Bigouden is an area of Finistère in Brittany, south-west of Quimper...
(roughly the region between the river Odet
Odet
The Odet is a river in western France , which runs from Saint-Goazec into the Atlantic Ocean at Bénodet. Bénodet is being given its name from the river The Odet is a river in western France (Finistère department), which runs from Saint-Goazec (near Leuhan, in the Montagnes Noires of Brittany) into...
and the Bay of Audierne), Pont-l'Abbé was founded in the 14th century by a monk of Loctudy
Loctudy
Loctudy is a fishing port and seaside resort in Brittany, France, at the mouth of the Pont-l'Abbé river estuary.The commune is in the Finistère Departments of Francedepartment in northwestern France...
who built the first bridge across the river estuary, hence the name. The same monk also built the first castle.
Population
Inhabitants of Pont-l'Abbé are called in FrenchFrench language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
Pont-l'Abbistes.
Breton language
The municipality launched a linguistic plan through Ya d'ar brezhonegYa d'ar brezhoneg
Ya d'ar brezhoneg is a campaign launched by the Ofis ar Brezhoneg in order to stimulate the use of the Breton language in daily life in Brittany, western France. In the first phase, started on 5 October 2001, civil society was targeted. Over 560 enterprises and organisations have signed the...
on February 2, 2008.
In 2008, 5.08% of primary-school children attended bilingual schools.
The Fête des Brodeuses (Embroideress' Festival) in July is one of Brittany's major traditional gatherings, and includes a Breton Mass at the Notre-Dame des Carmes church.
Sights
- Pont-l'Abbé's castle spans the 14th to the 18th centuries. The "wedding" room decorated with Mathurin MéheutMathurin MéheutMathurin Méheut was a French painter, ceramicist, engraver, and etcher best known for his depictions of Breton scenes, the sea, and nature....
pieces of art (Sainte-Marine port), Henri Sollier and Jacques Godin. The structure now serves as the town hall and houses the Bigouden Museum, with its fine collection of costumes and Bigouden head-dresses, - 'Notre-Dame des Carmes church is very old church (1383-1420) in the Gothic style, with many old statues and a very nice rose window over the high altar that is considered the loveliest in Bretagne.
- 'Lambour' church (13th-16th century) had its roof removed in 1675 in the reign of Louis XIV in reprisal against the "Bonnets Rouges" uprising.
- The Monument aux Bigoudens is a masterpiece in granite by François Bazin (1931) and shows a group of five Bigoudènes in traditional costume from the beginning of 20th century (four women and a child), all of them thinking of a son, a father, a husband or a grandson battling the elements on the high seas.
- The Manoir de Kernuz was restored c. 1850 by the historian of Brittany, Armand du Chatellier.
International relations
Pont-l'Abbé is twinned with:- BetanzosBetanzosBetanzos is a municipality in Galicia, Spain, in the Province of A Coruña. In Roman times Betanzos was called Carunium or Brigantium. During the Medieval period the settlement was known as Carunio....
, SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula... - SchleidenSchleidenSchleiden is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It lies in the Eifel hills, in the district of Euskirchen, and has 13,957 inhabitants...
, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Personalities
Jérôme KervielJérôme Kerviel
Jérôme Kerviel is a French trader who has a pending appeal of his conviction in the January 2008 Société Générale trading loss incident for breach of trust, forgery and unauthorized use of the bank's computers, resulting in losses valued at €4.9 billion.Société Générale characterizes Kerviel...
, the trader
Trader (finance)
A trader is someone in finance who buys and sells financial instruments such as stocks, bonds, commodities and derivatives. A broker who simply fills buy or sell orders is not a trader, as they are merely executing instructions given to them. According to the Wall Street Journal in 2004, a managing...
formerly with Société Générale
Société Générale
Société Générale S.A. is a large European Bank and a major Financial Services company that has a substantial global presence. Its registered office is on Boulevard Haussmann in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, while its head office is in the Tours Société Générale in the business district of La...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
that was linked with losses of approximately €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
4.9 billion (US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
7.16 billion) stemming from fraudulent equity index futures trading, grew up in Pont-l'Abbé.