Pointe-Saint-Mathieu – Introduction

Pointe Saint-Mathieu (in the Breton/Celtic language it’s called “Beg Lokmazhe“) lies at the Western extremity of France in Brittany. As a village it’s no longer in existence (it’s part of the Plougonvelin commune, but the village in itself no longer exists), but as a tourist spot, it’s right there with other interesting parts of Brittany.

In its glory days, the village counted 36 streets. Today, there’s only the highway that passes the area, and there are no houses (apart from one or two that are occupied by caretakers and a restaurant). The village was burned to the ground by a British invasion in the year 1296 and again in 1558.

The Pointe Saint-Mathieu is a condensed area with 2 museums, a beautiful lighthouse, abbey, church/chapel, French Navy observatory, a great little boutique hotel/spa with restaurants and the obligatory creperie. All that in a square kilometer or two.

From the hotel (which used to be part of the former abbey’s tribunal) and from the road, this is what you see:

Chapel

Since there was an abbey, you will also expect to see a church or chapel, and indeed, there is one:

The chapel was built in 1861 on top of ruins of a former chapel built in the 7th century.

Saint-Mathieu de Fine-Terre abbey

Taking up most of the space, the Abbaye Saint-Mathieu de Fine-Terre was thought to have been originally built in the 6th century by saint Tanguy. But according to records, there was already an abbey dating back to the year 555.

The current abbey was built by the Benedictine monks in the 11th century and contains a part of the skull of Matthew the Evangelist.

The Lighthouse

The Pointe Saint-Mathieu lighthouse was constructed in 1835 on the abbey grounds. The lighthouse is 37 meters high, but since it’s located on a cliff, it can be seen at a distance of 55 kilometers. However, there used to be a lighthouse here already in the year 1692.

On the monastery grounds there is a small light beacon belonging to the lighthouse.

Next to the lighthouse and abbey, you see the tall French naval observatory post, also known as a “semaphore“.

The Surroundings

The structures mentioned above are all to be found on top of a 20 meter high cliff. You can walk to the edge, and this is what you’ll see:

National Sailors Memorial

A little bit further from the abbey, some 100 meters away, you will see a tall tower and a low structure.

This is the “memorial aux marins morts pour la France” (Memorial for the sailors who died for France). It is a museum dedicated to the French sailors who died for France.

NOTE: click here to read our review of the memorial.

Musee Memoires 39-45

Just before getting to the lighthouse/abbey/memorial area, just before the hotel, you will see in a field a large concrete structure. This is a very big German WWII bunker.

You may have seen many bunkers along the French coastline, but this one looks different. Instead of a concrete block, they are multiple layers in a pyramid structure.

This is a museum dedicated to WWII. The whole bunker can be visited, and if you are in the area, you should visit it.

NOTE: Click here to read our review of the museum.

Conclusion

If you are in Brittany, particularly close to Brest, this is a place you really need to visit. It’s a day trip, although staying in the hotel is pretty nice.

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