Îlot des Capucins
Encyclopedia
Îlot des Capucins is a rocky islet
at the foot of a cliff in the commune of Roscanvel
on the Crozon peninsular. Its name comes from a rock near the island, shaped like a praying monk. It has a strategic position at the entrance to the goulet de Brest
and so a fort sited on it controlled the whole of Camaret
bay, with views stretching from pointe du Grand Gouin
(to the southwest), to fort de Bertheaume
(to the northwest).
The fort was built in 1848 after plans drawn 150 years earlier by Vauban
, built in schist
and granite
and made up of an underground battery (1890) and a rapid-fire battery (1890) It was linked to the mainland by a bridge in 1859.
On the heights overlooking the islet is an upper battery (1885) to the islet's right and left, a platform battery with an underground magazine (1897) and a mortar battery (1889).
Islet
An islet is a very small island.- Types :As suggested by its origin as islette, an Old French diminutive of "isle", use of the term implies small size, but little attention is given to drawing an upper limit on its applicability....
at the foot of a cliff in the commune of Roscanvel
Roscanvel
Roscanvel is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France.-Population:Inhabitants of Roscanvel are called in French Roscanvelistes.-See also:*Quélern*Communes of the Finistère department...
on the Crozon peninsular. Its name comes from a rock near the island, shaped like a praying monk. It has a strategic position at the entrance to the goulet de Brest
Goulet de Brest
The Goulet de Brest is a 3 km long strait linking the roadstead of Brest to the Atlantic Ocean. Only 1.8 km wide, it is situated between the Pointe du Petit Minou and the Pointe du Portzic to the north and the îlot des Capucins and the Pointe des Espagnols to the south.At each turn of...
and so a fort sited on it controlled the whole of Camaret
Camaret
Camaret is part of the name of 2 communes in France:* Camaret-sur-Aigues, in the Vaucluse département* Camaret-sur-Mer, in the Finistère département...
bay, with views stretching from pointe du Grand Gouin
Pointe du Grand Gouin
The pointe du Grand Gouin is a rocky promontory with vertical cliffs to the west of the inlet of Camaret-sur-Mer. It protects a port which, in Vauban's era, was vulnerable to possible landings...
(to the southwest), to fort de Bertheaume
Fort de Bertheaume
The Fort de Bertheaume is a fort in Plougonvelin, the Department of Finistère, France. It is located on an island, which is nowadays connected to the dry land by a footbridge...
(to the northwest).
The fort was built in 1848 after plans drawn 150 years earlier by Vauban
Vauban
Sébastien Le Prestre, Seigneur de Vauban and later Marquis de Vauban , commonly referred to as Vauban, was a Marshal of France and the foremost military engineer of his age, famed for his skill in both designing fortifications and breaking through them...
, built in schist
Schist
The schists constitute a group of medium-grade metamorphic rocks, chiefly notable for the preponderance of lamellar minerals such as micas, chlorite, talc, hornblende, graphite, and others. Quartz often occurs in drawn-out grains to such an extent that a particular form called quartz schist is...
and granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
and made up of an underground battery (1890) and a rapid-fire battery (1890) It was linked to the mainland by a bridge in 1859.
On the heights overlooking the islet is an upper battery (1885) to the islet's right and left, a platform battery with an underground magazine (1897) and a mortar battery (1889).