Vestiges (35)

Relics of Brittany's past

On the famous rocks of Saint Guénolé, at the south-west tip of Brittany, a metal cross marks the scene of an extraordinary event. On the 10th October 1870, the Prefect of Finistère and his family had enjoyed a picnic here and were relaxing on a fine afternoon. He was chatting nearby to archaeologist Paul Le Chatellier, when out of calm water a huge wave came up from the depths and swept away five people: his wife, daughter, nephew, niece and the governess. Only three of the bodies were ever recovered. The place is notorious. The story of Chaucer’s Franklin’s Tale is based on the dangers of the rocks on this coast, and people still today ignore all the widely displayed warnings and lose their lives to an unpredictable sea.

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