The triplet Pointe Saint Mathieu, Kermorvan and Pierres Noires

The lighthouse of Pointe Saint Mathieu is undoubtedly the most exciting because it seems to come out of nowhere, always out of the blue, behind the vestiges of an enclos, i.e. a Romanesque Benedictine abbey erected in the 12th century where, according to the most widespread belief, even the head of St. Matthew was hidden inside the walls. Unlike in our country, in France the lanterns are accessible: even at Pointe Saint Mathieu, therefore, one enters the turret by climbing a good 163 steps, listening to explanations on the operation of the lens entrusted to an elderly farmer or a young guide, who point out with his index finger that physical line in the sea traced by the lighthouse opposite at Kermorvan and, at a distance of a few more nautical miles, by that of Pierres Noires, erected using precisely dark-coloured stones. These lighthouses are still essential for ships to sail unharmed through the 'terrible' Chenal du Four, the channel in the north-west of France, always agitated by indomitable currents.