Locronan

Locronan Lokorn
Place de l'Église
Locronan
Location within Brittany region  Locronan
Administration
Country	France
Region	Brittany
Department	Finistère
Arrondissement	Châteaulin
Canton	Châteaulin
Mayor	Jean-Luc Engelmann (2008–2014)
Statistics
Elevation	38–280 m (125–920 ft) (avg. 145 m/476 ft)
Land area1	8.08 km2 (3.12 sq mi)
Population2	800  (2008)
- Density	99 /km2 (260 /sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	29134/ 29180
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Locronan (Lokorn in Breton) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France.

Locronan is a member of the [Les Plus Beaux Villages de France]] ("The most beautiful villages of France") association.

The place name

The village's name means the "hermitage of Ronan", 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 a Celtic (possibly Cornish or Irish) missionary of the 6th century. His association with Locronan is close, and a portion of his relics are kept in the parish church.

History

The St Ronan church at Locronan.

Locronan is a small town built at the foot of a hill, and was granted town status in 1505 by Anne of Brittany, who went there on a pilgrimage.

Since the 15th century, hemp has been blossoming in Locronan's surroundings. This led to a hemp industry in the town at the time, making the town quite prosperous. Locronan's hemp used to be shipped around the world, and was also vital for rigging the shipping, both commercial and military, that operated from Brittany's many ports. It was at this time that the Saint Ronan church was built as well as the small chapel of Penity.

Population

Inhabitants of Locronan are called in French Locronanais.

Historical populations
Year	Pop.	±%
1793	768	—
1800	691	−10.0%
1806	691	+0.0%
1821	664	−3.9%
1831	797	+20.0%
1836	805	+1.0%
1841	773	−4.0%
1846	865	+11.9%
1851	832	−3.8%
1856	719	−13.6%
1861	700	−2.6%
1866	638	−8.9%
1872	683	+7.1%
1876	759	+11.1%
1881	783	+3.2%
1886	766	−2.2%
1891	759	−0.9%
1896	778	+2.5%
1901	733	−5.8%
1906	720	−1.8%
1911	716	−0.6%
1921	760	+6.1%
1926	749	−1.4%
1931	924	+23.4%
1936	872	−5.6%
1946	794	−8.9%
1954	777	−2.1%
1962	715	−8.0%
1968	672	−6.0%
1975	686	+2.1%
1982	704	+2.6%
1990	796	+13.1%
1999	799	+0.4%
2008	800	+0.1%

Breton language

The municipality launched a linguistic plan through Ya d'ar brezhoneg on November 23, 2007.

Events

Troménie is a pilgrimage festival, involving a huge procession, which features the banners of participating parishes. Held every six years between the second and third Sundays in July, the Grande Troménie is a pilgrimage of about 12 km., traversing the wider sacred area around Locronan. In the intervening five years, the Petite Troménie is held on the second Sunday in July and is focussed on the town and church of Locronan. These are among the major pardons of the Breton festal calendar.

Popular culture

Locronan features in a few films:

• Tess by Roman Polanski
• A Very Long Engagement by Jean-Pierre Jeunet
• Chouans! by Philippe de Broca

Gallery

• 

  A notable image of the Deposition of Christ in the church at Locronan.

• 

  The banner of St Ronan.

• 

  Reliquary holding relics of St Ronan at Locronan.

• 

  Tomb of St Ronan.

• 

  Scenes from the life of St Ronan on the polychrome pulpit at Locronan parish church.

• 

  More scenes from the life and death of St Ronan on the pulpit.

• 

  The banner of St Corentin of Quimper at Locronan.

• 

  Altar of the Rosary.

See also

• Communes of the Finistère department

References

• INSEE

External links

• (French) Official site
• (French) Official site of the Office de Tourisme
• Gallery of Images on Treakearth
• (French) French Ministry of Culture list for Locronan