First written statements Ve siècle (≈ 550)
Graphics *Sicdelis* and *Sintelis* certified.
XVIIIe siècle
Construction of the fort
Construction of the fort XVIIIe siècle (≈ 1850)
Fort from the island to the Monks by Garangeau.
1910
Massacre of the macareux
Massacre of the macareux 1910 (≈ 1910)
Intensive hunting reduces their population from 20,000 to 2,000.
1912
Establishment of the reserve
Establishment of the reserve 1912 (≈ 1912)
First private ornithological reserve of France.
juillet 2023
Extension of the reservation
Extension of the reservation juillet 2023 (≈ 2023)
Transfer from 320 to 19,700 hectares protected.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Key figures
Jean-Siméon Garangeau - Military engineer
Disciple of Vauban, designer of the fort.
Régis Ribet - Heritage architect
Supervises the renovation of the fort.
Origin and history
The Sept-Îles (or Ar Jentilez in Breton) form an archipelago off Perros-Guirec, Brittany. This French name is the result of a misinterpretation of the toponyme Breton Jentilez (sometimes pronounced sitiile), francized to "Seven Islands" while the archipelago has five main islands, rocks and an island. The oldest prints, such as Sicdelis or Sintelis (Vth century), attest to an ancient occupation, but it was at the beginning of the 20th century that the site gained national fame.
In 1910, the Western Railway Company organized hunting trips to the archipelago, targeting, in particular, the macarous monks, whose beaks were collected as trophies. In just two years, their population drops from 20,000 to 2,000 individuals. This massacre triggered a wave of indignation, leading to the creation of the Sept-Îles National Nature Reserve in 1912, France's first and oldest private bird reserve. Its objective: to protect the twelve species of breeding marine birds, including Bassan's madmen, cormorants and alcids.
The archipelago consists of five major islands: Bono (the largest), Plate, Les Moines (only accessible to the public, with a lighthouse and remains of an 18th century fort designed by Jean-Simeon Garangeau, disciple of Vauban), Malban and Rouzic (main nesting zone, with 22,395 pairs of Bassan madmen recorded in 2011). To reach the symbolic figure of seven, the guides include two rocky sets, the Cerf and the Costans, visible at low tide. The island of Tomé, although close geologically, is not part of it.
The reserve extends in July 2023 from 320 to 19,700 hectares, becoming the 2nd protected marine area of metropolitan France. A 130-hectare "quiet zone", banned to humans from April to August, was established to preserve fauna (grey pike, birds) and flora (zoster grass, laminaria). The Conservatoire du littoral and the heritage architect Régis Ribet oversee the renovation of the island's fort in Les Moines for its opening to the public.
The Breton toponym Jentilez evokes a mythological or pre-Christian origin, while the French graphic reflects an administrative assimilation. Despite its name, the archipelago illustrates above all a unique ecosystem, shaped by erosion and human protection, where nature and history intersect from the fifth century until today.
