Last modified: 2024-04-27 by olivier touzeau
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Flag of Morlaix - Image by Olivier Touzeau, 5 December 2021
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Morlaix - in Breton Montroulez - (14,709 inhabitants in 2020; 2,482 ha) is a commune in the Finistère department.
Coins found in the vicinity suggest Roman occupation of the site (possibly Mons Relaxus). The site was chosen by the viscounts of Leon in the 11th century to build a castle, on which are grafted three priories which give birth to the parishes and towns of the same name, Saint-Mathieu, Saint-Martin and Saint-Melaine. But Morlaix did not take off until the end of the 12th century, after it was reunited with the ducal domain in 1179. A struggle ensued between the viscounts of Leon and the duchy which did not end until the 15th century. Economic activity did not suffer and in the 16th century Morlaix became an important commercial hub. The port serves as an outlet for inland activities: buckwheat honey, linen, horses, butter, paper or skins.
In July 1522, a few hundred English soldiers took the city by surprise and sacked it. Following this incursion, the Morlaisians began building a fortress, called the Château du Taureau, at the entrance of the harbor. The municipal institutions of the city were reestablished in 1562 with new privileges which were then questioned and disappeared during the 17th and 18th centuries. Maritime trade was disrupted by the wars in Holland in 1672 and the League of Augsburg in 1689. Many shipowners then converted to racing warfare. In 1740, the Tobacco factory was inaugurated. Under the First Empire, Morlaix suffered from the blockade and wars, but, if it did not regain its prosperity, it maintained its economic activity, with its port and its annual fairs, or tourist activity, with the Paris-Brest railway line. The Second World War seriously affected the city during the bombing of January 29, 1943. Morlaix is today the third city of the department where the health sector, with the importance of its hospital, occupies a third of the jobs.
Morlaix has several 15th–16th-century houses (notably Maison de la Reine Anne) and the 15th-century Gothic church of Saint-Melaine. The town is dominated by a two-storied railway viaduct (built 1861–64, partially destroyed by the Royal Air Force in 1943 and now reconstructed) that spans the valley 200 feet (60 metres) above the quays.
The Baie (bay) de Morlaix is a centre of intense oyster cultivation, and the town itself is a fishing port. Morlaix is also a tourist centre with a yachting harbour.
Olivier Touzeau, 5 December 2021
The flag of Morlaix is white with the coat of arms of the commune (photo, 2020; photo, 2015).
The arms of Morlaix are blazonned: Gules a ship Or sails Ermine furled on a sea azure.
The supports are, sinister, a lion, and dexter, a two-headed lion, symbolizing England. The city motto, inscribed on a listel, says "s’ils te mordent, mords-les" ("if they bite you, bite them", with a pun on "mords-les", same pronunciation as Morlaix).
Olivier Touzeau, 5 December 2021