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Origin and history

The Monument aux Bretons de la France libre, called Croix de Penhir, is erected on the point of Pen-Hir at Camaret-sur-Mer, in the Finistère. This spectacular natural site, marked by 70-metre tall Armo Rican sandstone cliffs, overlooks the Iroise Sea and offers an exceptional panorama on the Breton coast, from the points of Leon to those of Cornwall. The tip, formed about 460 million years ago, is a symbolic place, marked by unique geological formations like the Tas de Pois, granite stacks emerged.

Inaugurated in the 1960s by General de Gaulle, the monument commemorates the Bretons' commitment to free France during the Second World War. In particular, he carried the Breton motto "Kentoc的h mervel eget em zaotra" and a quote from the appeal of 18 June 1940. Built in blue granite by Brennilis between 1949 and 1951, it is the work of architect Jean-Baptiste Mathon (known for the reconstruction of Brest) and sculptor François Victor Bazin. Its modern shape, a massive 15 metre Lorraine cross, contrasts with regional elements such as Breton inscriptions and local material.

The monument has been listed as a historic monument since May 21, 1996. He also celebrates the Sao Breiz association, founded in Britain by Britons exiled during the war. Its location, facing the sea, recalls that many people fled this way to join the French Forces libres. General de Gaulle, at his inauguration on 15 July 1951, paid tribute to their contribution. The cross includes a female sculpture in round-bosse, a frieze of men in high relief, and a plaque with a verse from Baudelaire: "Free man, always you will cherish the sea".

The Pen-Hir Point, beyond its memorial role, is a remarkable geological site. Its cliffs, composed of Armomeric sandstones and Briover schists, date from Ordovician and Devonian (between -480 and -360 million years). The Tas de Pois, ancient Tas de Foin, are emblematic rock formations, while the nearby beaches, such as that of Veryacs, exhibit fossilized sedimentary layers (trilobites, graptolites). This landscape, shaped by erosion and hercynian folds, also attracts filmmakers and artists, such as the Japanese channel NHK or the French series La Main du mal.

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