“Grand Phare” | Belle-Île-en-Mer Tourist Office

Belle-Île's Summit

Lighthouses are THE buildings most heavily associated with the Atlantic coast, especially in Brittany: a full third of all lighthouses in France were built there after all! With 70% of Brittany’s lighthouses having been designated “Monuments de France” or “Monuments Historique”, these stone giants are an integral part of France’s heritage and a must-visit when in Breton lands. Although the most well known are in Finistère, southern Brittany’s Morbihan has nothing to be envious of!

Histoire - Patrimoine bâti, Belle île en mer, île de Bretagne, Bretagne sud, au large du Golfe du Morbihan

Heaven, purgatory or hell?

According to the keepers of these stone sentinels, there are 3 types of lighthouses:

Paradise

These would be lighthouses built along the coast or in an estuary, sometimes near villages. Easy to live in, often with a family, the only constraint (common to all lights) is the climb to access to lantern.

The Purgatory

These are built on isolated islands, more or less removed from the mainland. While remote, returning to mainland’s “civilisation” for supplies is simple, if time consuming.

Hell

This refers to a lighthouse located on a faraway island or even in the middle of the ocean, with no land nearby. The keeper is therefore isolated for several weeks, or even much longer when the sea is rough.

Goulphar: a clever mix of all three…

Belle-Île, by its size (17km long by 9 wide) and its population, (about 5,500 year-round) is more akin to a detached piece of the mainland floating at sea than an unreachable islet. Lighthouses here are thus a mix of Paradise, Purgatory and Hell, all depending on the weather and location on Belle ile.

Because of its strategic position off the coast of Brittany and its height, Grand Phare’s lantern shines out to 50 km, making this First Order Lighthouse one of Europe’s most powerful! Commissioned in 1836 and finally listed “Historic Monument” in 2011, this 52 meter tall granite tower complex is one of Bangor’s most well known landmarks.

Lighthouse keepers

Very few french lighthouses still host keepers, but 2 still inhabit Goulphar’s sub-buildings. Titled “Sustainable Development Senior Technicians”, they manage the 60 or so lights between the tip of Penmarc’h (in south Finistère) and the mouth of the river Vilaine, maintain the 3 active lighthouses and 5 lights on Belle-Ile and ensure the proper functioning of national maritime Differential GPS systems for the entirety of metropolitan France.

Visit Grand Phare: schedules and rates

Why you'll love Grand Phare

247 steps to an unparalleled view!

Guided tours in season and during school vacations

During autumn and winter, Grand Phare opens its doors at dusk

A little history

The granite tower was built from 1826 to 1835, following the plans of physicist Augustin Fresnel, chief engineer and secretary of the Lighthouse Commission in Paris. A true genius of light polarization, in 1825 Fresnel unveiled his “Map of Lighthouses,” describing a system of 51 lighthouses and smaller port lights to be installed on the coasts of France. He then classified the lighthouses according to “orders”. The lighthouses of the first order are those that have the greatest range and are equipped with the largest lenses.

Designed by physicist and pioneer of light polarisation Augustin Fresnel, Grand Phare’s granite tower was built over 9 years from 1826 to 1835. As Chief Engineer and secretary to the Lighthouse Comission in Paris, Fresnel unveiled in 1825 what he called his “Map of Lighthouses”, a proposed map of 51 lighthouses and smaller harbour lights to be installed along France’s coasts. He then classified each light in a series of “Orders”, with “First Order” lighthouses being the most powerful and consequently, visible from the furthest distances.

Function: Large landfall light, i.e., navigational aid for approaching a coast

Location and coordinates: Bangor, Belle-Île-en-Mer, Morbihan, Brittany | 47°18′ 39″ N 3°13’37” W

Construction and commissioning: 1826 – 1833 | 1835

Number of steps: 247

Height, elevation and range: 52.25 meters from the base; 92 meters above highest seas; 27 miles (about 50 km)

Light pattern: 2 white flashes every 10 seconds (flash, 7s, flash, 3s)

Lantern Features: 1000 watt metal halide lamp and 650 watt halogen emergency light.

Grand Phare

The Lighthouses and Beacons museum

A Bellilois Landmark

Grand Phare’s 247 steps lead to a breathtaking panoramic balcony 43m above the ground. Below, the fields of wandering heath land stretch from Port-Coton to Vazen and form Belle-Ile’s Crown Jewel protected natural environment. Beyond, a near infinite view on the Atlantic and, by good weather, Lorient’s harbour and the island of Groix.

For our younger, less adventurous or reduced mobility visitors, a permanent exhibition covering a variety of themes welcomes you on the ground floor : From the history of lighthouse keeping, lighthouses and their management to maritime buoyage and the protection of natural spaces.