Île-aux-Moines

Île-aux-Moines (French pronunciation: [il o mwan] ; Breton: Enizenac’h, more commonly Izenah) is a commune in the Morbihan department in the region of Brittany in northwestern France.

It comprises the island of Île-aux-Moines – the largest island in the Gulf of Morbihan — along with the islands of Creïzic, Holavre, and the two Brouël islets.

Geography

Île-aux-Moines is located in the Gulf of Morbihan. It measures about 7 km (4.3 mi) in length and 3.5 km (2.2 mi) in width, with a surface area of 3.2 square kilometres (320 ha). The island's outline resembles an irregular cross, and no point lies more than 450 meters from the sea.

The four "arms" of the cross end at:

Pointe du Trec’h (north branch)

Pointe du Nioul (south branch, the longest)

Pointe de Brouël (eastern branch)

Pointe de Toulindac (western branch, the smallest, home to the island’s port)

The bays between the arms are named:

Anse du Lério (northwest)

Anse du Guéric (northeast)

Anse du Vran (southeast, both the Guéric and Vran bays are large and host oyster farms)

The main village is located at the intersection of the four branches. The small Anse du Guip, in the southeast, is home to the Chantier du Guip shipyard, specializing in the restoration and construction of traditional wooden boats, fishing vessels, and yachts. The company has expanded to Brest (its main base today) and Lorient.

The island’s terrain is relatively hilly, reaching 31 meters between Kerscot and Kergonan, 20–26 meters on the narrow Trec’h peninsula to the north, and 22 meters on the Penhap peninsula to the south,. The eastern Brouël peninsula is lower, never exceeding 14 meters in height, with much of it only a few meters above sea level.