Ifop and Bretons, ed. (18 December 2012). "Les Bretons, les habitants de Loire-Atlantique et la question régionale" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 October 2017 . Retrieved 1 March 2013. Christian Y. M. Kerboul (1997). Les Royaumes brittoniques au très haut Moyen Âge. Éditions du Pontig/Coop Breizh. pp.80–143. ISBN 2-9510310-3-3. The Curiosolitae, who lived around the present town of Corseul. Their territory encompassed parts of Côtes-d'Armor, Ille-et-Vilaine and Morbihan départements. a b Université de Rennes II (ed.). "Archéologie classique". Archived from the original on 31 May 2004 . Retrieved 26 February 2013. In the center of the town is the Place Saint-Corentin, presided over by Quimper's awe-inspiring Cathédrale Saint-Corentin. Dating to the 13th century, the cathedral is considered Brittany's finest Gothic building. Between the cathedral's two high towers (which were completed in the 19th century), the legendary figure of King Gradion peers above the town.

a b c d e André Le Coq & Philippe Blanchet (2005). Centre de Recherche sur la DiversitéLinguistique de la Francophonie (ed.). "Pratiques et représentations de la langue et de la culture régionales en Haute Bretagne" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 October 2013. As official religious statistics are forbidden in France, there are no official figures about religious practices in Brittany. However, successive polls show that the region has grown more nonreligious over time. Catholicism started to decline after the Second World War, during the urbanisation of Brittany. A poll conducted in 2006 showed that Morbihan was the only département to have a strong Catholic population, around 70% of its inhabitants belonging to that religion. Loire-Atlantique and Côtes-d'Armor were among the least Catholic French départements, with only 50% of the population practicing Catholics, while Ille-et-Vilaine and Finistère were at around 65%. Other religions are almost non-existent, apart from Islam which is practiced by between 1 and 3% of the inhabitants in Ille-et-Vilaine and Loire-Atlantique. [77] Culture [ edit ] Architecture [ edit ] Josselin Castle The main road artery linking cities and other settlements along the north coast is the Route nationale 12 which connects the cities of Rennes, Saint-Brieuc, Morlaix and Brest. It also provides a link to southern Normandy, terminating in Paris. In south Brittany the Route nationale 165 performs a similar role along the south coast providing connections between Nantes, Vannes, Lorient, Quimper and Brest. The Route nationale 164 crosses the centre of the peninsula and connects Rennes to Loudéac, Carhaix and Châteaulin, and the Route nationale 166 links Rennes to Vannes. The Route nationale 137 provides connections between Saint-Malo, Rennes and Nantes and terminates in Bordeaux. [ This paragraph needs citation(s)] At the junction of the Erdre and Loire Rivers, the old Breton port of Nantes has played an important role in history. Nantes was the capital of the Duchy of Brittany during the Middle Ages, and it was here in 1598 that Henry IV signed the Edict of Nantes, which granted freedom of religious belief to Protestants. Narrow pedestrian lanes lead to bustling public squares and side streets, with many restaurants and crêperies found at every turn. Gracing the Place Chateaubriand is the Hôtel France & Chateaubriand in a neoclassical building modeled after the grand seaside resorts of the Napoléon III era. Guest rooms feature elegant minimalist decor; some look out to the coastline. Amenities include a stylish café, brasserie, and a rooftop restaurant with panoramic views. View of the walled city of Saint Malo and its ramparts

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The region became part of the Roman Republic in 51 BC. It was included in the province of Gallia Lugdunensis in 13 BC. Gallic towns and villages were redeveloped according to Roman standards, and several cities were created. These cities are Condate ( Rennes), Vorgium ( Carhaix), Darioritum ( Vannes) and Condevincum or Condevicnum ( Nantes). Together with Fanum Martis ( Corseul), they were the capitals of the local civitates. They all had a grid plan and a forum, and sometimes a temple, a basilica, thermae or an aqueduct, like Carhaix.

Main article: Reunification of Brittany This Loire-Atlantique road sign reads "welcome to historical Brittany". The domain www.domainesinfo.fr is registered by NetNames". Archived from the original on 7 February 2013 . Retrieved 30 December 2016.The foreign policy of the Duchy changed many times; the Dukes were usually independent, but they often contracted alliances with England or France depending on who was threatening them at that point. Their support for each nation became very important during the 14th century because the English kings had started to claim the French throne. Finally, immerse yourself in the region’s vibrant atmosphere. Visit a festival, a traditional celebration, or a cultural or sporting event. Join in the fun and embrace the festive spirit that makes the Breton people so welcoming. The many towns in the region are also worth visiting on a day out. They too have a typical Breton feel and a vibrant atmosphere all year round. Brittany as a political entity disappeared in 1790, when it was divided into five départements. The Breton départements more or less correspond to the nine Catholic dioceses that appeared at the beginning of the Middle Ages. They were often called "pays" or "bro" ("country" in French and Breton) and they also served as fiscal and military districts. [39] Brittany is also divided between Lower Brittany ("Basse Bretagne" and "Breizh Izel"), corresponding to the western half, where Breton is traditionally spoken, and Upper Brittany ("Haute Bretagne" and "Breizh Uhel"), corresponding to the eastern half, where Gallo is traditionally spoken. The historical Breton dioceses were:

Breton literature before the 19th century was mostly oral. The oral tradition entertained by medieval poets died out during the 15th century and books in Breton were very rare before 1850. At that time, local writers started to collect and publish local tales and legends and wrote original works. Published between 1925 and the Second World War, the literary journal Gwalarn favoured a modern Breton literature and helped translating widely known novels into Breton. After the war, the journal Al Liamm pursued that mission. Among the authors writing in Breton are Auguste Brizeux, a Romantic poet, the neo-Druidic bard Erwan Berthou, Théodore Hersart de La Villemarqué, who collected the local legends about King Arthur, Roparz Hemon, founder of Gwalarn, Pêr-Jakez Helias, Glenmor, Pêr Denez and Meavenn. The obstacles to reunification are the same as in 1956: having Nantes in Brittany could harm the position of Rennes and create an economic imbalance between Lower and Upper Brittany. Moreover, the Pays de la Loire region could not exist without Loire-Atlantique, because it would lose its political and economic capital. Without Loire-Atlantique, the other départements would not form an efficient region any more, and would have to integrate neighbouring regions such as the Centre-Val de Loire and Nouvelle-Aquitaine. In Roman times, Armorica included what is now Brittany. This was an indefinite region that extended along the English Channel coast from the Seine estuary, then along the Atlantic coast to the Loire estuary and, according to several sources, maybe to the Garonne estuary. This term probably comes from a Gallic word, aremorica, which means "close to the sea". [14] Another name, Letauia (in English " Litavis"), was used until the 12th century. It possibly means "wide and flat" or "to expand" and it gave the Welsh name for Brittany: Llydaw. [15]Main article: Union of Brittany and France Anne of Brittany is regarded in Brittany as a conscientious ruler who defended the duchy against France. There is a very old pilgrimage called the Tro Breizh (tour of Brittany), where the pilgrims walk around Brittany from the grave of one of the seven founder saints to another. Historically, the pilgrimage was made in one trip (a total distance of around 600km) for all seven saints. Nowadays, however, pilgrims complete the circuit over the course of several years. In 2002, the Tro Breizh included a special pilgrimage to Wales, symbolically making the reverse journey of the Welshmen Sant Paol, Sant Brieg, and Sant Samzun. [75] South of the cathedral, in the former Bishop's Palace, is the Musée Départemental Breton (Breton Museum) with a collection of archaeological objects, folk costumes, ceramics, and artworks, which reveal Brittany's rich cultural heritage. There is also a collection of landscape paintings that depict Brittany's Finistère region. The Duchy was legally abolished with the French Revolution that began in 1789 - and in 1790 the province of Brittany was divided into five departments: Côtes-du-Nord (later Côtes-d'Armor), Finistère, Ille-et-Vilaine, Loire-Inférieure (later Loire-Atlantique) and Morbihan. Brittany essentially lost all its special privileges that existed under the Duchy. Three years later, the area became a centre of royalist and Catholic resistance to the Revolution during the Chouannerie.

This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( June 2021) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) This is just a small sample of the treasures to be found off the Breton coast. In addition, Brittany also has several peninsulas, all equally worth a visit. Take, for example, Quiberon, Crozon and the Rhuys peninsula (Sarzeau). With turquoise waters and unique flora and fauna, these strips of land should definitely be included on your To Do list if you’re camping near the sea in Brittany. Because the départements are small and numerous, the French government tried to create wider regions during the 20th century. For the Breton nationalists, it was an occasion to recreate Brittany as a political and administrative entity, but the new region had to be economically efficient. Nantes and its département, Loire-Atlantique, raised concerns because they were off-centered, more integrated with the Loire Valley than with the Breton peninsula. The French government and local politicians also feared that Nantes, because of its population and its former Breton capital status, would have maintained a harmful competition with Rennes to get the regional institutions and investments.

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Lewis, Stephen M. "Óttar's Story – A Dublin Viking in Brittany, England and Ireland, A.D. 902-918". a b Priscilla Franken. Vocatis (ed.). "La Bretagne a un taux de chômage faible, mais qui ne profite pas assez aux seniors". Archived from the original on 12 April 2013 . Retrieved 1 March 2013. In 1956, Brittany was legally reconstituted as the Region of Brittany, although the region excluded the ducal capital of Nantes and the surrounding area. Nevertheless, Brittany retained its cultural distinctiveness, and a new cultural revival emerged during the 1960s and 1970s. Bilingual schools were opened, singers started to write songs in Breton, and ecological catastrophes such as the Amoco Cadiz oil spill or the Erika oil spill and water pollution from intensive pig farming favoured new movements to protect the natural heritage. The Château de Josselin has been inhabited throughout the centuries by generations of the Rohan family. The town of Josselin takes its name from the son of the Viscount who built the château.