Mont Saint-Michel de Brasparts et le Yeun Elez

Saint-Rivoal

The Mont Saint-Michel de Brasparts is a quartzite summit crowned with a small white chapel dedicated to the archangel, set at the heart of the Monts d'Arrée. At its feet opens the Yeun Elez, a vast peat-filled depression ringed by ridges and open only to the east. At the centre of this basin, an unstable pool of water, the Youdig — "the little porridge" — was reputed to be bottomless: Breton tradition made it a gateway to the underworld, a vestibule into which the damned were hurled. Accounts collected in the late 19th century tell how exorcist priests would confine the demon in a black dog before throwing it into the Youdig, a rite from which François Abgrall drew his tale "Len-ar-Youdic". In these stories the summit chapel plays the role of sentinel: the archangel Michael, sword raised, appears in gigantic, luminous form above the sanctuary to hold back the forces rising from the marsh. Will-o'-the-wisps, peat fires and disappearances in the quagmires fed these supernatural explanations for generations, in an isolated and impoverished region. The site remains one of the most visited viewpoints of inland Brittany, and the contrast between the crisp white chapel and the black peat bog still makes it one of the most charged landscapes of the peninsula.

Wikipédia — Yeun Elez : le Youdig et la porte de l'Enfer ↗

Getting there : The summit is reached from the car park on the D785 (Brasparts–Sizun road), at the pass; a very short climb on foot, 10 to 15 minutes on a stony path, without difficulty but very exposed to the wind. The chapel is usually closed; the interest lies in the 360° panorama over the Monts d'Arrée and the Yeun Elez basin. The Youdig itself lies in the commune of Brennilis, about 4 km to the east; the peat bog is fragile and dangerous and should only be crossed on the waymarked trails of the Armorique Geopark. The summit is administratively in Saint-Rivoal, but the site is universally known as "de Brasparts".

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

Ambient sound