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Origin and history

The fortified La Ferriere complex, located in Locmaria on the island of Belle-Île-en-Mer (Morbihan), is a military device built to defend the beaches of the Grands-Sables and Samzun. It consists mainly of a 1,200-metre escarp wall built in 1747, closing the eastern access to the beaches, and a guard corps fort 1846 no.2 erected in 1858 behind this wall. This fort, partially buried under the dunes, saw its coronations damaged shortly after its construction. Three fortified gates provide access to beaches, while the site undergoes accelerated erosion due to storms and rising oceans.

The origin of the project dates back to Vauban's recommendations in 1689, which highlighted the vulnerability of the Grands-Sables, the island's main landing area. In 1746, a campaign of works reinforced the defences with the creation of the battery of La Ferriere, located between the dreads of Saint-Laurent and Ker David. Successive conflicts (the Austrian Succession War, the Seven Years War, the Revolution, the Empire) led to continuous adjustments. In the mid-19th century, the Mixed Coastal Armaments Commission (1841) modernized the site: the La Ferriere battery, originally planned for six artillery pieces, was reduced to four guns in 1862, and its reduced to a reinforced guard.

During World War II, the Germans entered the site at the Atlantic Wall, adding trenches and combat posts on the retreating plateau. Today, the whole, classified as Historic Monument since 2001, is threatened by coastal erosion and abandonment. Several works have already disappeared, such as the frontal part of the battery, while the fort and earthen cutbacks (XVIII–XIX centuries) are rapidly deteriorating. The property is shared between the department, the municipality of Locmaria, and private actors.

The 18th century wall, the central element of the device, structures all the fortifications by linking dreads, batteries and entrenchments. In the 19th century, La Ferriere's battery, with masonry platforms (dis), was designed to house 30 pound guns and shells. Its reduced, the only surviving example of the 1846 n°2 type on the island, illustrates the evolution of military techniques. The changes of the 1870s–80s (addition of support points for mobile defence) reflect its adaptation to later strategies.

The inscription to the Historical Monuments in 2001 specifically covers the wall d ́escarp, the reduced type 1846, and a small battery, located on plots ZI 2, 3, 5, 1, and 17 of the cadastre. Despite this protection, the site remains vulnerable: winter storms and sea level rise accelerate its destruction. The remains of the German works (1940–1944) complement this multi-sera defensive landscape, now at risk due to the lack of proper maintenance and preservation measures.

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