Locronan village square; group of traditional celtic singers gather in the evening at the village square and sing traditional folk songs
Locronan is a village in Brittany in north-western France, with a population and is a member of the Les Plus Beaux Villages de France ("The most beautiful villages of France") association. The village's name means the "hermitage of Ronan", from the Breton word which means hermitage, and after the eponymous founder Saint Ronan. It has previously been known as Saint-René-du-Bois. Saint Ronan is greatly venerated in Brittany. He was an Irish Christian missionary of the 6th century who came to the region to teach the people. As his association with Locronan is close, some of his relics are kept in the parish church Locronan stands at the foot of a hill. It was granted town status in 1505 by Anne of Brittany, who went there on a pilgrimage. Since the 15th century, hemp has naturally grown in the area (see Hemp in France). It was cultivated and processed in a hemp industry in the town at the time, and it was widely used. The town was quite prosperous. Its hemp was exported internationally, as it was used for rigging the ships, both commercial and military, that operated from Brittany's many ports. The Saint Ronan church was built in this period, as well as the small chapel of Penity.
Size: 5472px × 3648px
Location: Locronan, Brittany, France
Photo credit: © Roger Hollingsworth / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
Keywords: beautiful, beaux, brittany, celtic, choir, de, france, group, heritage, les, locronan, picturesque, quaint, ronan, saint, saint-rené-du-bois, singers, song, unesco, village, villages, world
