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Origin and history

The Papegaut bastion, located in Port-Louis, Brittany, is one of the urban fortifications built between 1649 and 1653. He owes his name to the right of papagaut, a privilege granted by Henry III to the bourgeois militias of Blavet to train in firing at the arquebus. Positioned at the southeast end of the enclosure, it allowed control of Loc Malo Bay and access to the Gavres peninsula. The walls, partially preserved, date from the 17th century, although modified in the 18th and 19th centuries.

In 1706 a battery was installed there under the command of François de Lavl-Montmorency. At the end of the 18th century, however, Louis Lazare d'Ajot considered space too small. In 1878, Henri Coville built a new battery with cutouts and casemates, leading to the lowering of the ramparts on the sea side and the deconcentration of the bastion. Today, it remains partially, girded by 17th century walls, and has been classified as a Historic Monument since 2023.

The site is associated with other elements of the Port Louis fortifications, such as the Citadelle, the Petite Poudrière, or the Pâtis and Bois d'Amour esplanades. These sets illustrate the evolution of coastal defensive systems between the 17th and 19th centuries, adapted to military needs and the progress of artillery. The bastion, owned by the municipality, retains traces of its successive transformations, including its walls and buildings integrated into the current urban landscape.

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