At only a stonethrow - pun intended - from Saint-Malo, the small town Rothéneuf on the shores of the Emerald Coast in Brittany, an extraordinary site of about 600 square metres consists of carved granite rocks.
The first carvings date back from 1870 and it took 15 to 25 years - according to different sources - to sculpt some 300 figures.
Inspired by pirate's tales, Boer wars, saints from Brittany and more.
A stroke partly paralyzed the priest Abbé Fouré (1839-1910) and left him deaf and mute. He retired and became a hermit in this area and started carving with the aid of an elderly helper.
Back on top of the carved rocks on our way to the car park that actually belongs to a restaurant...
... which has a stunning view and great decor. We would have loved to have dinner here but we still have some 250 KM ahead of us and we're running out of time. But I'm already wishing to come back here ... the restaurant, Le Bénétin, looks very promising.
1 comment:
Indrukwekkend example of outsider art.
Fouré was also e woodcarver, but his gallery of wooden sculptures was destroyed by fire during the Allied advance in 1944, and only a few works have survived.
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