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Morlaix
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MORLAIX
, one of the great old Breton ports, thrived off trade with England in between wars during the "Golden Period" of the late Middle Ages. Built up the slopes of a steep valley with sober stone houses, the town was originally protected by an eleventh-century castle and a circuit of walls. Little is left of either, but the old centre remains in part medieval - cobbled streets and half-timbered houses. Its present grandeur comes from the pink-granite viaduct carrying trains from Paris to Brest way above the town centre. Coming by road from the north, the opening view is of shiny yacht masts paralleling the pillars of the viaduct.
On her way from Roscoff to Paris, Mary Queen of Scots passed through Morlaix in 1548 and stayed at the Jacobin convent that fronts place des Jacobins. She was at the time just five years old, and a contemporary account records that the crush to catch a glimpse of the infant was so great that the inner town's "gates were thrown off their hinges and the chains from all the bridges were broken down". The Musee des Jacobins in the convent church contains a reasonably entertaining assortment of Roman wine jars, bits that have fallen off medieval churches, cannon and kitchen utensils, and a few modern paintings (Easter-June, Sept & Oct Mon, Wed-Fri & Sun 10am-noon & 2-6pm, Sat 2-6pm; July & Aug Mon, Wed-Fri & Sun 10am-12.30pm & 2-6.30pm, Sat 2-6.30pm; rest of year Mon, Wed-Fri & Sun 10am-noon & 2-5pm, Sat 2-5pm; 25F/€3.81). The nearby church of St Mathieu , off rue de Paris, contains a sombre and curious statue of the Madonna and Child; Mary's breast was apparently lopped off by a prudish former priest, to leave the babe suckling at nothing. The whole statue opens down the middle to reveal a separate figure of God the Father, clutching a crucifix.
Duchess Anne of Brittany, who had by then become Queen of France, visited Morlaix in 1506. She is reputed to have stayed at the
Maison de la Reine Anne
, 33 rue du Mur, which, although much restored, does indeed date from the sixteenth century. Its intricate external carvings, and the lantern roof and splendid Renaissance staircase inside, make it the most beautiful of the town's ancient houses, each of its storeys overhanging the square below by a few more centimetres. The house is open to the public in summer (May & June Mon-Sat 10am-noon & 2-6pm; July & Aug Mon-Sat 10am-6.30pm, Sun 2-6pm; Sept Mon-Sat 10am-noon & 2-5pm; 10F/€1.52). Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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France,
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