Construction decision 1683 (≈ 1683)
Vauban ordered the construction of the fort.
1694
Start of work
Start of work 1694 (≈ 1694)
Construction led by Vauban.
1875
Torilla modernization
Torilla modernization 1875 (≈ 1875)
Shelter for torpedo boats.
1885-1886
Ravine battery
Ravine battery 1885-1886 (≈ 1886)
Construction of a secret battery.
1906
Partial fire
Partial fire 1906 (≈ 1906)
Damage caused by fire.
2014
MH classification
MH classification 2014 (≈ 2014)
Full site protection.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The fort in total, the port (mole, dikes), the ramp of the funicular, the battery of so-called rupture of the ravine (walls of enclosures, cross-bars, and powderboxes), their respective bases of attitude including the soils located in front of the walls west, north and east which correspond to the old ditches of escarpius today filled, as well as the vestiges of the experimental torpedo-launch (cad. H 763, 1456 and on the non-cadaster marine public domain, as represented en route on the plan annexed to the decree): classification by decree of 21 January 2014
Key figures
Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban - Military engineer
Designer of the fort in 1694.
Paul-Louis Mollart - Engineer
Directed the large battery (1684-1687).
Origin and history
The Fort du Mengant (or fort du Léon), located in Plouzané, Brittany, was built in 1694 under the direction of Vauban to secure the harbour of Brest. It incorporates a high battery at 58 meters above sea level, once equipped with an artillery tower now destroyed, and a low battery in a semi-circle housing two pedriae. This device completed Cornouaille's battery, on the opposite bank, to cross their shots and control access to the gully. A battery project on the pit of the Mengant Rock, in the centre of the gully, was abandoned due to currents and tides.
Around 1875, the Ministry of the Navy adjusted a shelter for torpedo canoes, modernizing the defence against new threats. A dike was built to form a small harbour, while a secret battery, known as the ravine, was erected in 1885-1886. In 1905, the site housed four 320 mm open-pit guns, limited to a 30-degree range. A fire in 1906 partially damaged the surrounding woods.
Today, the lower part is managed by the Navy's nautical club, while the upper part is used for radar testing. A ramp built in the 1960s allows equipment to be transported by sea. Ranked Historic Monument in 2014, the fort illustrates the evolution of coastal fortifications from the 17th to the 20th century, adapted to the progress of naval armament.
The site also includes the remains of an experimental torpedo launcher and a funicular ramp. Its architecture, blending courtes and pedriers, reflects Vauban's military genius and successors. The Mengant Rock, a dreaded pitfall, remains a symbol of the gully's maritime challenges, marked by shipwrecks such as that of the Republican (1794) or the grounding of the battleship Charles Martel (1897).
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