Île des Morts
Encyclopedia
Île des Morts is a 7-hectare island in the Bay of Roscanvel
, to the south-west of the roadstead of Brest
, between the Quélern
peninsula and Île Longue
. It is 26m above sea level at its highest point.
for lepers
, with Île des Morts as its cemetery. During the 18th century, the arsenal at Brest
was supplied with gunpowder from the powder-mills of Pont-de-Buis
. Transported by boat, the gunpowder made a last stop at the île d'Arun
, at the mouth of the River Aulne
. However, the magazine on the île d'Arun was small and remote from Brest and was not convenient in the context of the Napoleonic Wars
, with the British fleet blockading Brest. In 1808, Jean-Nicolas Trouille
, director of the maritime works at Brest, decided to develop Île de Morts by adding powder magazines. The rock-breaking works done by convicts from the Brest prison allowed him to level a plateau on which to build three 45m-long and 12m wide two-level powder-magazines (in which the use of metal was banned to avoid risk of explosion). In completing the magazines, he also built a mole
out towards île Trébéron, several landing points and a barracks for the magazines' garrison.
In 1868, with the railways' arrival in Brest, the French Navy decided to build a new powder magazine at the Saint-Nicolas powder-factory, at Guipavas. Even so, the Île des Morts continued in use in both World Wars, during which time the metal "Decauville
" road was built, which still survives. In 1960, the installations on the island were decommissioned and some years later the island became included in the protective perimeter around Île Longue
- it is still closed to public access.
Roscanvel
Roscanvel is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France.-Population:Inhabitants of Roscanvel are called in French Roscanvelistes.-See also:*Quélern*Communes of the Finistère department...
, to the south-west of the roadstead of Brest
Roadstead of Brest
The roadstead of Brest is a roadstead or bay located in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. The surface area is about 180 km² . The port of Brest is located on its northern edge and one of the two French naval bases...
, between the Quélern
Quélern
Quélern is a hamlet in Roscanvel, in the department of Finistère , in western France.-Fortified lines:The Quélern lines defended the entrance to the goulet de Brest against capture from behind the defences of the Roscanvel peninsula. They are 1.22 km long and form the only surviving non-urban...
peninsula and Île Longue
Île Longue
Île Longue is a peninsula of the roadstead of Brest. It is the base of the SNLE, the French ballistic missile submarines, and as such one of the most secretive and heavily defended places in France.-Geography:...
. It is 26m above sea level at its highest point.
History
In 1720, the neighbouring island of Trébéron became a quarantine island or lazaretLazaretto
A lazaretto or lazaret is a quarantine station for maritime travellers. Lazarets can be ships permanently at anchor, isolated islands, or mainland buildings. Until 1908, lazarets were also used for disinfecting postal items, usually by fumigation...
for lepers
Leprosy
Leprosy or Hansen's disease is a chronic disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Named after physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen, leprosy is primarily a granulomatous disease of the peripheral nerves and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract; skin lesions...
, with Île des Morts as its cemetery. During the 18th century, the arsenal at Brest
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
was supplied with gunpowder from the powder-mills of Pont-de-Buis
Pont-de-Buis-lès-Quimerch
Pont-de-Buis-lès-Quimerch is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France.-Population:Inhabitants of Pont-de-Buis-lès-Quimerch are called in French Pontdebuisiens.-References:** -External links:**...
. Transported by boat, the gunpowder made a last stop at the île d'Arun
Île d'Arun
The Île d'Arun is an islet in the confluence of the rivers Aulne and Le Faou, at the base of the roadstead of Brest. It is located in the territory of the commune of Rosnoën in Finistère, France, and its highest point above sea level is 11m. Accessible by a land route, it was the stopping-off...
, at the mouth of the River Aulne
Aulne
The Aulne is a 140 km long river of Brittany in north-western France, flowing down the hills and emptying into the roadstead of Brest, one of the many fjord-like bays just south of Brest. The river is part of the Canal de Nantes à Brest, the navigation canal that once connected the city of Nantes...
. However, the magazine on the île d'Arun was small and remote from Brest and was not convenient in the context of the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, with the British fleet blockading Brest. In 1808, Jean-Nicolas Trouille
Jean-Nicolas Trouille
-Life:After a short career in the cavalry then in the naval artillery in Brest, he was taken on by Antoine Choquet de Lindu as a draughtsman in 1777 thanks to his qualifications as an architect...
, director of the maritime works at Brest, decided to develop Île de Morts by adding powder magazines. The rock-breaking works done by convicts from the Brest prison allowed him to level a plateau on which to build three 45m-long and 12m wide two-level powder-magazines (in which the use of metal was banned to avoid risk of explosion). In completing the magazines, he also built a mole
Mole (architecture)
A mole is a massive structure, usually of stone, used as a pier, breakwater, or a causeway between places separated by water. The word comes from Middle French mole and ultimately Latin mōlēs meaning a large mass, especially of rock and has the same root as molecule.Historically, the term "mole"...
out towards île Trébéron, several landing points and a barracks for the magazines' garrison.
In 1868, with the railways' arrival in Brest, the French Navy decided to build a new powder magazine at the Saint-Nicolas powder-factory, at Guipavas. Even so, the Île des Morts continued in use in both World Wars, during which time the metal "Decauville
Decauville
The Decauville manufacturing company was founded by Paul Decauville , a French pioneer in industrial railways. Decauville's major innovation was the use of ready-made sections of light, narrow gauge track fastened to steel sleepers; this track was portable and could be disassembled and transported...
" road was built, which still survives. In 1960, the installations on the island were decommissioned and some years later the island became included in the protective perimeter around Île Longue
Île Longue
Île Longue is a peninsula of the roadstead of Brest. It is the base of the SNLE, the French ballistic missile submarines, and as such one of the most secretive and heavily defended places in France.-Geography:...
- it is still closed to public access.
Source
- Poudrières de l'île des Morts (Inventaire général de Bretagne)
- Bretagne Magazine n°31 (November/December 2005-January 2006)