Île Aval
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Native name: Enez-Aval Nickname: Avalon | |
|---|---|
 Ile d’Aval | |
  Isle of Aval | |
| Etymology | From the Breton, aval, meaning apple. |
| Geography | |
| Location | The Channel |
| Coordinates | 48°48′02″N 3°34′30″W / 48.800636°N 3.575015°W |
| Area | 6 ha (15 acres) |
| Length | 2 km (1.2 mi) |
| Width | 1 km (0.6 mi) |
| Administration | |
| Region | Brittany |
| Department | Côtes-d'Armor |
| Arrondissement | Lannion |
| Canton | Tréguier |
The Isle of Aval, known as Enez-Aval in Breton and Ile d'Aval in French, is an island in Brittany, situated east of Île-Grande, in the commune of Pleumeur-Bodou and the wider Canton of Tréguier.
The charm of the island of Aval with its woods and fine white sands, attracts those who either see it from the mainland, sail around it or even walk or ride around it when the tide is low. A celtic cross, wells, fountains, low stall walls…the ever present traces of its past highlight its history. [1] Known for its natural deposits of pink granite, monks built a monastery on the island in the 6th century in the name of Saint-Marc and later stone carriers and agricultural farmers lived on the island until an abrupt end in 1942. Nazis evicted the farmers and blew up their home.
In the 1950s the island was owned by the Varine family, the owners of the nearby castle of Kerduel. In 1960 the Island was then sold to Jacques Moisan who moved there from Versailles with his entire family. For quite a while they lived in tents on the island while they built it up and cleared it of all the brambles, ferns and gorse. Eventually the family then managed to rebuild the only longère on the island and planted 1500 pine trees. [2]
In 2020 the island was purchased for Euro 2.5 million by Jean-Marie Tassy-Simeoni, founder of advertising agency Uzik and co-founder of the Calvi on the Rocks Festival in Corsica.[3] Jean-Marie now aims to renovate and convert the longère into a beautiful luxury B&B.[4] [5]
Legend
The island is mostly famous today for the tomb of King Arthur at the foot of a large menhir as well as the many legends of Morgan le Fay, the fairy queen of Avalon.[6] According to legend, King Arthur was mortally wounded after the Battle of Camlann. As King Arthur is dying, the lone survivor Bedivere returns Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake, and Morgan and Nimue come to take Arthur to Avalon.