Ancien couvent des Ursulines
MonumentHidden Treasure
Ancien couvent des Ursulines, located in Lannion (Département 22), is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- Lannion, Département 22, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.7311, -3.4552
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00089264
A hidden gem of the Trégor region, the former Ursuline convent in Lannion reveals the austere beauty of 17th-century Brittany: grey granite, a tranquil cloister and well-preserved convent gardens in the heart of the old town.
History
Nestling in the sloping streets of Lannion, this medieval town in the Armorican Trégor region, the former Ursuline convent is one of the few surviving 17th-century convent buildings in the Côtes-d'Armor region. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1971, it is a striking example of the counter-Reformation religious architecture established in Brittany in the aftermath of the Council of Trent, at a time when the great teaching congregations were moving into Breton towns to open women's educational centres. What sets this convent apart is first and foremost the coherence of its buildings: unlike many religious buildings that have undergone successive alterations, the ensemble retains a remarkable architectural unity. The bluish granite main buildings, typical of the Trégor region, are arranged around a structured interior space where monastic functionality dictates each layout. The sober ornamentation of the facades, typical of the rigour of the Ursuline monastery, contrasts with the discreet richness of the proportions and the care taken with the interior joinery. To visit this monument is to plunge into the hushed atmosphere of a community life entirely dedicated to prayer and instruction. The interior spaces, converted after the Revolution but preserving their original framework, give an idea of the classrooms, refectory and chapel where generations of young Breton women received their education. Visitors who are more interested in ambience than spectacle can expect something rare here: architectural silence steeped in history. Lannion's urban setting, dominated by the half-timbered houses of the Place du Général Leclerc and the nearby church of Saint-Jean-du-Baly, makes for an even richer walk. The former convent is part of a living heritage fabric, just a stone's throw from the Léguer and its lush green banks, offering walkers a memorial stop-off at the heart of a city in perpetual motion.
Architecture
The former Ursuline convent in Lannion is a sober illustration of the principles of 17th-century Breton convent architecture. Built of bluish-grey granite quarried in the Trégor region, the main building has two storeys under a steeply pitched roof covered in natural slate from Angers or Brittany, a material that gives it the austere, solid appearance characteristic of religious buildings in the region. The facades, pierced by mullioned or cross-headed stone windows, are a regular composition inherited from the French classical tradition, tempered by the rigour of the orders of the teaching orders. The interior layout follows the canonical layout of Ursuline convents: an oriented chapel, common rooms - refectory, study room, parlour - distributed along a corridor or simplified cloister, and cells or dormitories on the upper floor. The oak roof frame, typical of Breton buildings of the period, provides a roof over the large volumes and testifies to the quality of the local craftsmen involved in the construction. A number of architectural details are worthy of note: the carved granite door frames, the soberly moulded lintels and the spiral or straight staircases leading to the upper floors all bear the stamp of skilled craftsmanship and a taste for ornamental discretion characteristic of the convent builders of the Grand Siècle.
Related Figures
Angela Merici — fondatrice de l'ordre des Ursulines (1535), dont la spiritualité apostolique a inspiré la vocation éducative de toutes les maisons de la congrégation, y compris celle de LannionLes recteurs et notables trégorois du XVIIe siècle — mécènes anonymes dont les donations ont rendu possible l'établissement et la pérennité du couvent lannionnaisLes premières Mères supérieures ursulines de Lannion — religieuses fondatrices venues vraisemblablement de la maison-mère de Rennes ou de Morlaix pour établir la communautéLes commissaires révolutionnaires de 1792 — chargés de l'inventaire et de la confiscation des biens conventuels dans le district de LannionLes conservateurs de la DRAC Bretagne — architectes des bâtiments de France ayant instruit le dossier d'inscription aux Monuments Historiques aboutissant à l'arrêté du 25 octobre 1971
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Ancien couvent des Ursulines located?
Ancien couvent des Ursulines is located in Lannion, Département 22 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Ancien couvent des Ursulines built?
Ancien couvent des Ursulines dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Ancien couvent des Ursulines open to visitors?
Ancien couvent des Ursulines is currently closed to visitors.