Pont-l'Abbé (; , "Abbot's bridge") is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France. The self-styled capital of Pays Bigouden (roughly the region between the river Odet and the Bay of Audierne), Pont-l'Abbé was founded in the 14th century by a monk of Loctudy who built the first bridge across the river estuary, hence the name. The same monk also built the first castle. Geography Climate Pont-l'Abbé has a oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb). The average annual temperature in Pont-l'Abbé is . The average annual rainfall is with November as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around . The highest temperature ever recorded in Pont-l'Abbé was on 16 July 2006; the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 2 January 1997. Population Inhabitants of Pont-l'Abbé are called in French Pont-l'Abbistes. Breton language The municipality launched a linguistic plan concerning the Breton language through Ya d'ar brezhoneg on 2 February 2008. In 2008, 5.08% of primary-school children attended bilingual schools. The Fête des Brodeuses (Embroideress' Festival) in July is one of Brittany's major traditional gatherings, and includes a Breton Mass at the Notre-Dame des Carmes church. Sights Pont-l'Abbé castle dates from the 14th to the 18th centuries. The "wedding" room is decorated with Mathurin Méheut pieces of art (Sainte-Marine port), Henri Sollier and Jacques Godin. Once bigger, the castle lost its ramparts during the 19th century. Today only the bridge, the keep, and a very small part of the ramparts, in the garden nearby, can be seen. The structure now serves as the city hall, housing also the Bigouden Museum, offering a fine collection of costumes and Bigouden head-dresses, Church of Notre-Dame des Carmes dates from 1383-1420 in the Gothic style, with many old statues and a very fine rose window over the high altar that is considered the loveliest in Brittany. Church of Lambour (13th-16th century) had its roof removed in 1675 in the reign of Louis XIV in reprisal against the "Red Bonnets" uprising. The Monument aux Bigoudens is a masterpiece in granite by François Bazin (1931) and shows a group of four Bigoudène women and a child in traditional costume from the beginning of the 20th century, all of them thinking of a son, a father, a husband or a grandson battling the elements on the high seas. The Manoir de Kernuz