Le Faou, a charming little town of character!
At the entrance to the Crozon peninsula, come and be seduced by Le Faou, a town of character on the water's edge. It's no coincidence that the painter Eugène Boudin, precursor of Impressionism and whose wife was a native of the region, loved coming to Le Faou! In fact, the town and its port feature in many of his works.
History of a stopover town
Around the year 1000, the castle of the powerful Viscounts of Le Faou was built on a feudal motte. Its location was strategic: the proximity of the Cranou forest provided wood for construction, and its position between Quimper and Brest made Le Faou a stopover town.
timber-framed houses
Le Faou, a charming place with a unique character
The charm of the Cité du Faou lies in its architecture, which, although altered in the 19th century, has been particularly well preserved. Rue du Général de Gaulle, the town's main thoroughfare, features a number of narrow, timber-framed houses built close together. These are former merchant's houses, and as merchants wanted to be on top of the street, the houses are presented on their smallest side.
Few communes in Brittany have preserved this architecture.
Have you heard of us?
In the same street, a building known as the "relais de poste" (post house) bears witness to Le Faou's history as a stopover town. Stagecoaches on their way from Brest to Quimper used to stop here to rest their horses. Le Faou has had a total of four successive post houses.
A Place des Halles... without halles?
At the top of the Grand-Rue, the former halles (covered market) were created after the French Revolution. In the 19th century, they housed the town hall and a boys' school. Built of wood, they were 27 meters long. Replaced in the early 20th century by a metal structure, the latter was demolished after the Second World War. The square also housed a prison, the largest in France after Toulon.
the most beautiful villages in brittany
The Petite Cité de Caractère label
Petites Cités de Caractère are atypical towns located in exceptional sites of distinctive heritage interest. Through the label, these towns commit to a policy of preserving, enhancing and passing on their heritage.
Saint-Sauveur church, the pearl of Le Faou
At the far end of the ria stands the surprising 16th-century church of Saint Sauveur. It is built of Logonna yellow stone and Kernsaton granite, two local materials. Take time out to admire its exceptional statuary: made of wood and dating from 1721, it depicts Christ and his 12 apostles. Inside the church, the sculpted baptismal font is unique in Brittany.