Grottes Marines de Morgat

Grottes Marines de Morgat


Useful Information

Location: Ships start at Port Plaisance Morgat, Quai Kador, Morgat. Parking at the pier available.
Open: Circuit Jaune: APR to SEP twice daily.
Circuit Bleu: APR to SEP once daily.
Time table depends on the tides.
Boarding 15 minutes before scheduled departure.
[2011]
Fee: Adults EUR 11, Children (4-12) EUR 8, Children (0-3) EUR 4, Dog EUR 5.
[2011]
Classification: Speleologysea cave
Light: n/a.
Dimension: Grotte de L'Autel: L=80m
Guided tours: Circuit Jaune: D=45 min.
Circuit Bleu: D=60 min.
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address: Vedettes Rosmeur Croisières, Quai Kador, 29160 Crozon Morgat, Tel +33-685-955549.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then.
Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1847 caves visited by Gustave Flaubert.

Description

The Grottes Marines de Morgat are some sea caves on the Presqu'île de Crozon (Crozon Peninsula). There are four caves close together, in the cliff of the cap de la Chèvre (cape of the goat) south of Crozon. There are two boat trips from the harbour of Morgat to the caves, which are offered during the summer daily, times depending on the tides. The Circuit Jaune (yellow tour) takes 45 minutes and goes to all four caves. The Circuit Bleu (blue tour) takes one hour, includes only the Grotte de L'Autel but also visits Ile Vierge (Virgin Island) with its Mediterranean climate.

The Grotte de L'Autel (Cave of the Altar) is the biggest one, an 80 m long cathedral, coloured by iron oxides from the rock and algae. The Grotte Sainte-Marine (Cave of Saint Margaret the Virgin) is notable for its legend. It is named after Sainte Marine (Margaret the Virgin aka Margaret of Antioch). She was the daughter of a pagan priest named Aedesius in what is now Turkey around 300 AD. Her father scorned her for her Christian faith. When Olybrius, the praeses orientis (Governor of the Roman Diocese of the East), offered her marriage, she refused. She refused, because she would have to renunciate Christianity. According to the Golden Legend she was then tortured, during which various miraculous incidents occurred. While her historical existence has been questioned, she was very popular as a Saint since the Crusades. The Cheminee Du Diable (Devil's Chimney) was named after some huge daylights in the cave. They allow the light to enter the cave and give a special aura to the cave. The Chambre du Diable (House of the Devil) is completely dark.

The number and size of the caves at cap de la Chèvre is extraordinary. Beneath the four caves there is also a natural bridge. All those erosional forms are a result of a shear zone in the rock with parallel cracks. Each crack zone forms a weakness in the rock and the place where erosion by the seawater works better than at the rock besides. So the caves actually form an almost symmetric pattern.