Bangor () is a commune in the Morbihan department in the Brittany region of north-western France. It is one of the four communes on the island of Belle-Île.

Geography Bangor is one of four communes on the island of Belle Île located on the south-west coast of the island. The island is some 14 km south of the Quiberon peninsula. Access to the commune is by the D190 road from Le Palais in the north and the D25 from Locmaria in the east which continues to Sauzon in the north-west. There is the small Aerodrome de Belle-Île in the north of the commune which hosts the Aeroclub de Belle-Ile en Mer. Apart from the village there are many hamlets in the commune:

Bordenec'h Bornor Borsauz Calestren Cosquet Domois Donnant Goélan Le Grand Village Kerguélen Kerourdé Kervarijon Parlavan Radenac Tinéüé Le Vazen

Several offshore islands also belong to the commune as well as other unnamed islets: Ile de Bangor Roches de Bornor Iles de Domois Iles de Baguenères Aiguilles Rocheuses

The commune consists almost entirely of farmland.Google Maps

Climate The commune is exposed to strong winds.

Neighbouring communes and villages

Map

Toponymy It is not known if the name comes from Bangor Abbey in Northern Ireland, one of the most famous abbeys in Western Christianity, from where it is known that monks like Columbanus came to evangelize in Armorica in the 6th century, or from the Monastery of Bangor-Fawr, founded in Wales around 545 on the Menai Strait.

The Breton name of the commune is Bangor.

History

The commune of Bangor has been inhabited since prehistory as evidenced by the Pierre Sainte Anne menhir.

Bangor has been the administrative centre of the island for 10 centuries. It was the name of a priory founded by Benedictine monks who came to colonize and populate the island starting in the 7th century.

Colonization consisted of dividing the island into five parishes with Bangor occupying the middle Each parish was a small area given to residual families from the island or to colonists who were asked by the monks to come to Brittany.

In the 9th century the island was devastated by the Vikings and the priory was placed under the secular protection of the Counts of Cornouaille (in Armorican Brittany). In 1029 the Count of Cornouaille Alain Canhiart entrusted the island to the recently founded Sainte-Croix de Quimperlé Abbey. As it was directly under the authority of the Pope, Belle-Ile benefited from immunity from being under the authority of both the bishopric of Vannes and the duchy of Brittany. The administration of the island was delegated to a provost of the abbey who had temporal power (the right of low, middle, and high justice which was performed sometimes at Belle-Ile and sometimes at Quimperlé). From 1408 the right was exercised only at Quimperlé.

The Count of Cornouaille entrusted the island to the Benedictines of Redon Abbey who were able to take possession of it after long protests from the abbot of Quimperlé. The priory remained in the same spot as its predecessors (on the current location of the municipal campground of Bangor) and a fort was constructed at Le Palais which later became the capital of the island instead of Bangor.

Belle-Île was governed by monks until the 16th century when incessant attacks by pirates forced them to relinquish their fiefdom to the king, or rather to the regent Catherine de' Medici, who gave the land in vassalage to the Gondi family – then owners of the Pays de Retz. The land, however, remained under the heavy hand of the regime until the French Revolution.

The Goulphar Lighthouse on the west coast of Bangor has been active since 1836.

The semaphore of Talut was put into service in 1862.Office of Tourism of Belle-Île-en-Mer

Administration List of Successive MayorsList of Mayors of France

From To Name 1791 1797 Pierre Paul Sechant 1797 1799 Le Matelot 1799 1809 Pierre Paul Sechant 1809 1810 Jean Martin Labado 1810 1818 Jean Jacques Hippolyte Le Dru 1818 1839 Pierre Vincent Le Matelot 1839 1844 Le Dru 1844 1852 G. Sechant 1852 1874 Jean Patern Briere 1874 1876 Louis Marie Laleous 1876 1896 Mathurin L'Hermite 1896 1900 Pierre Marie L'Hermite 1900 1919 François Marie Le Bihan 1919 1925 Onésime Bénoni L'Hermite 1925 1935 Herve

Mayors from 1935

From To Name 1935 1946 François Le Marec 1946 1960 Jean Marie Le Bihan 1960 1971 Paul Bedex 1971 1977 Adolphe Olieric 1977 1983 Paul Meunier 1983 1989 Jean Yves Daniel 1989 2001 Lucien Maho 2001 2014 Pierre-Yves Desard 2014 2026 Annaïck Huchet

Demography The inhabitants of Bangor are called Bangorins in French.Le nom des habitants du 56 - Morbihan, habitants.fr

Culture and heritage

Civil heritage The commune has many buildings and structures that are registered as historical monuments: A Tumulus NE of the Aerodrome (Prehistoric)Ministry of Culture, Mérimée An old Radar Station at Port-Croton (20th century)Ministry of Culture, Mérimée The Goulphar Lighthouse (1826)Ministry of Culture, Mérimée has one of the most powerful lights on the French coast. Built from 1826 to 1833, it was commissioned in 1835 and is a granite building 47 m high which rises to 84 m above the sea level. Its light beam flashes at intervals of 3 and 7 seconds. With the present optical system it is visible at 28 Nautical miles. Fortified works (18th century)Ministry of Culture, Mérimée The Pierre Sainte Anne Menhir at Kervarijon (Prehistoric)Ministry of Culture, Mérimée A Tumulus at Kervarijon (Prehistoric)Ministry of Culture, Mérimée Houses (19th century)Ministry of Culture, Mérimée The Town Hall (19th century)Ministry of Culture, Mérimée A Bakery at Borsauz (18th century)Ministry of Culture, Mérimée The Loge Agricultural Store room at Bordenec'h (19th century)Ministry of Culture, Mérimée A Well at Radenac (19th century)Ministry of Culture, Mérimée A Mill at Varrec (1858)Ministry of Culture, Mérimée

Religious heritage

The commune has several religious buildings and structures that are registered as historical monuments: Monumental Crosses (19th-20th century)Ministry of Culture, Mérimée The Parish Church of Saints Peter and Paul (16th century)Ministry of Culture, Mérimée A Presbytery (1790)Ministry of Culture, Mérimée The Chapels of Saint-Guénolé, Saint-Thomas, and Saint-Armand (destroyed)Ministry of Culture, Mérimée

Bangor Picture Gallery

Notable people linked to the commune John Russell, Australian painter, arrived at Belle-Île-en-Mer in 1883. He first stayed in a rented house in Envag before building a mansion called the "Château de l'anglais" (English Chateau) at Goulphar. Claude Monet lived in the village of Kervilahouen Françoise Bangor, the first woman painter in Belle-Île, stayed in Envague. She often came on holidays with her parents and succumbed to the beauty of the island. She continued to paint the rugged coastline, the villages, and to sketch the fishermen from 1935 to 1953.Françoise Oury, Bangor, 1905~1983 Henry Moret, painted Goulpher

Paintings of Bangor

See also Communes of the Morbihan department

References

External links

Bangor official website Bangor on the Gencom website (many links) Old postcards of Bangor Page about Bangor, Belle-Ile, with a map of the small town Bangor on Géoportail, National Geographic Institute (IGN) website Bangor on the 1750 Cassini Map