Île de Batz et le dragon de saint Pol Aurélien

Île-de-Batz

Three kilometres from Roscoff, the île de Batz keeps the memory of a saint's fight against a dragon. According to tradition, the Welsh monk Pol Aurélien landed on the island around 525 and wanted to found a monastery there, but a dragon terrorised the inhabitants. The saint passed his stole around its neck and led it like a dog on a leash to the north-west point, to the Trou du Serpent (Toull ar Zarpent), a chaos of granite where the monster threw itself into the sea. The tales add that in heavy weather the sea roars as if the beast were still crying out. The monastery is said to have been founded around 530, before Pol Aurélien became first bishop of Léon on the mainland. Today the church of Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours, built in 1873, keeps a fabric presented as the stole: it dates from the 8th century, probably comes from the East and has been listed since 1898. This does not prove the legend, which remains a tale. On the site of the first monastery stand the ruins of the chapelle Sainte-Anne, the former church of Saint-Pol abandoned in the 18th century when sand covered it. The island is also known for its exotic Georges Delaselle garden, created in 1897, and for its 44 m lighthouse. The sources read do not agree on the exact dates of the buildings.

Getting there: Island 3 km from Roscoff, reached by boat in about fifteen minutes all year (times vary with season and tides, to be checked with the company). The tour of the island by the coastal path is about 12 km. The Georges Delaselle garden can be visited from April to the end of the All Saints holidays. Coordinates: centre of the island from OpenStreetMap (Nominatim); the Trou du Serpent, at the north-west point, was not precisely located. The ruins of the chapelle Sainte-Anne, already in the app (entry ‘Chapelle Sainte-Anne (ruines)’), are on the same island, about 1.5 km from this point.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound