Small Breton village located in Finistere, Brennilis takes place at the foot of Mont Saint-Michel de Brasparts, in the Monts d'Arrée, about fifty kilometers from Quimper.
Populated since the Mesolithic, the region of Brennilis was formerly crossed by the Roman road from Carhaix to La Feuillée. A place of pilgrimage in the 15th century, the village developed mainly in the middle of the 17th century. Built in the mid-nineteenth century, Brennilis remained known for the exploitation of its peat bogs, as well as for its nuclear power plant, the first having undergone a dismantling process in progress since 1985.
Today very touristy, the village of Brennilis attracts visitors for its landscapes, as well as for its architectural heritage which testifies to a rich and tumultuous past.
Listed as a Historical Monument, Notre-Dame Church dates from the 15th century. Equipped with a fine octagonal spire bell tower, it has seven polychrome panels of the seventeenth century. Inside, we can find a fence baptismal font Breton Renaissance style, various statues of St. Yves, St. Mark, St. Sebastian, and St. Divy, and an Ecce homo and a Christ on the cross.
Not far, you can admire the cross of Calvary cemetery of the first half of the seventeenth century, and the ordeal of Nestavel near the mill Kerstrat, and classified as an historic monument.
The ruins of the old chapel Saint-Avit are still visible, including a fountain.
Very old, the town of Brennilis has an important prehistoric heritage with its alignment of Leintan menhirs, the tumulus of Leintan with three dolmens, four menhirs, ten burial mounds, a fortified camp and the rest of two villages. The archaeological site Ti ar Boudiged is also worth a visit with its megalithic dolmen dating back to 3000 BC.
In order to enjoy the surrounding landscapes, go to the Vénec nature reserve with its beavers and its house of the Nature Reserve, or the reservoir of Saint-Michel. The latter, classified as a large inland lake, is reputed to be a good pike fishing spot.
The Youdig's house organizes visits to the Yeun Elez, as well as vigils on regional legends. It is also possible to see an exhibition of models of Breton houses and monuments.
A farmers' market is proposed in the summer season.
In May, there will be a celebration of Nature and its activities around the local flora and fauna.
