Lighthouse of La Jument

Museums of France

All the maritime heritage of France

Crédit photo : Falken - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

XIXe siècle

Époque contemporaine

1900

2000

1904-1911

Construction of lighthouse

15 octobre 1911

Fire ignition

1917-1918

Strengthening during the war

26 juillet 1991

Automation

31 décembre 2015

Registration MH

20 avril 2017

MH classification

Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Registered MH on December 31, 2015. The lighthouse of the Jument, in its entirety, including its base, located in the Iroise Sea on the rock Ar-Gazec, at the entrance of the passage of the Fromeur, to the southwest of the island of Ouessant (Finistère), on the public domain maritime non-cadaster, geographical coordinates: 48°25'331'' N

Key figures

Charles-Eugène Potron - Donor	Leaves 400,000 francs for its construction.
Georges Clet Heurté - Chief Engineer	Directs the work from 1904 to 1911.
Théodore Malgorn - Guardian (1989)	Photographed in front of a giant wave.
Jean Guichard - Photographer	Author of the famous pictures of 1989.
Henri Queffélec - Writer	Author of novels on the lighthouse.

Origin and history

The lighthouse of La Jument was erected between 1904 and 1911 on the reef of Ar Gazeg ("la mare" in Breton), off Ouessant, thanks to a 400,000 francs legacy of Charles-Eugène Potron, a member of the Société de Géographie de Paris. The purpose of the project was to secure a dangerous maritime area, where thirty-one ships had been shipwrecked between 1888 and 1904, including the Drummond Castle liner in 1896, causing 258 deaths. The lighthouse was designed to withstand the violent currents of the Fromeur and complete the existing signalling system, notably with the Black Stone and Creac'h lighthouses.

The construction, led by engineer Georges Clet Heurté, was marked by extreme conditions: only 52 hours of work possible in the first year due to storms and currents. Despite a delay of seven months, the lighthouse was lit on October 15, 1911, although interior developments were not completed until 1914. Its total cost was 850,000 francs, well beyond the original legacy. As early as 1917, cracks appeared, requiring reinforcements, including a reinforced concrete breastplate and haubans installed in 1934.

The lighthouse became known worldwide thanks to a photograph by Jean Guichard taken in 1989, showing the goaltender Théodore Malgorn in front of a bursting wave. Automatized in 1991, it was equipped with an LED system in 2015 and a solar panel in 2023. Ranked historic monument in 2017, it symbolizes both human ingenuity and the power of the sea, with record waves of 24.60 meters measured in 2017-2018. His story inspired literary works, such as the novels Le Phare and La Lumière enchaine by Henri Queffélec.

The lighthouse is also linked to maritime tragedies, such as the three-mast Catarina Stockholm, which disappeared in 1896 near the reef. A Breton gwerz perpetuated the memory of this shipwreck, helping to locate its wreck. Today, the Jument lighthouse remains a symbol of man's struggle against the elements, while being an essential landmark for navigation in the Iroese Sea.