Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Guesclin Fort was built in 1026 by a member of the Guesclin family on an island accessible at low tide, near Saint-Coulomb in Ille-et-Vilaine. This castle, with three towers, a dungeon, two enclosures and a 33-metre tank, was a strategic point. In 1207 John without Earth, king of England, occupied him before being expelled by Juhel III of Mayenne. The Guesclin, considering the site too exposed, abandoned it around 1259 to settle at the Plessis-Bertrand. The fort, dismantled, changed hands several times before being shaved in 1757-1759.

Vauban erected a new fort, including a barracks, a powder shop and cannon platforms, to protect the coast from English incursions. After losing its military utility in 1826, the fort was sold to private individuals and turned into a resort residence. Two houses were added to the old garrison, forming the current structure. During the Second World War, in 1942, the German army joined the Atlantic Wall, installing an anti-aircraft gun and rearranging the murderers.

From 1959 to 1968, the fort belonged to the singer Léo Ferré, who composed major works such as La Mémoire et la Mer, living with his wife Madeleine, his daughter-in-law Annie and a guenon named Pépére. Left behind after his departure, the site was bought in 1996 by the Porcher family, who restored it. Since 2012, the Association Les Amis de l'île du Guesclin has been involved in its development and conservation, preserving this unique historical and cultural heritage.

Today, the Gesclin Fort embodies both a military heritage, with its successive transformations, and an artistic dimension, linked to the presence of Leo Ferré. Its isolation on the island, accessible only at low tide, adds to its mysterious and preserved character, while highlighting the challenges of its restoration in a demanding maritime environment.

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