Ancienne maison des Princes de Rohan, actuellement mairie
MonumentHidden Treasure
Ancienne maison des Princes de Rohan, actuellement mairie, located in Pont-Scorff (Département 56), 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
- Pont-Scorff, Département 56, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.8354, -3.3991
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00091584
The Renaissance jewel of Pont-Scorff, this 1511 residence with its chiselled dormer windows and sculpted fireplaces was a court house before becoming the elegant town hall of the city of Breton craftsmen.
History
In the heart of Pont-Scorff, a Morbihan town renowned for its artists' studios and medieval streets, the former home of the Princes of Rohan stands out as one of the rare examples of Breton Renaissance architecture still standing and inhabited. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1932, this dark granite residence has dominated local life for over five centuries, displaying the severity of Armorican stone and the decorative fantasy typical of the heyday of the 16th century. What sets the building apart from so many other Breton notables' houses is the tension between its austere function - a house of justice and tax collection - and the preciousness of its decoration. The lavishly ornamented dormer windows contrast with the robust granite, revealing the ambition of patrons who wanted to show off their rank and culture. Inside, the monumental sculpted fireplaces and exposed-beam floors offer a striking insight into the lifestyle of the Breton bourgeoisie during the Renaissance, at a time when the Lords of Rohan were extending their influence throughout Morbihan. It's a unique experience: you don't come here for a reconstructed museum show, but to brush up against the stones of a living building, now occupied by the Pont-Scorff town hall. The façades read like a manual of regional Renaissance architecture, with their corbelling, mullioned windows and the superimposition of two buildings skilfully combined into a single coherent whole. Pont-Scorff itself makes for a wonderful visit: listed as one of Brittany's most active artists' villages, it unfurls a web of half-timbered houses, galleries and open studios around the town hall, transforming the architectural diversions into a full-blown cultural walk. Photography enthusiasts will find the contrast between the weathered granite and the Breton vegetation an exceptional terrain for expression, particularly at the end of the day when the low-angled light reveals every asperity of the stone.
Architecture
The building belongs fully to the Breton Renaissance movement, characterised by the adoption of new Italianate decorative vocabularies while retaining the materials and construction methods specific to the region. Dense, grey Morbihan granite is used throughout the masonry, giving the building a sober colour scheme that is broken only by the sculpted decorations. The dormer windows are the focal point of the exterior composition: finely worked, they display an ornamental repertoire combining foliage, pilasters and shells, revealing the hand of stonemasons with a perfect mastery of the new Renaissance language. The layout is the result of two originally separate houses being joined together to form a single building by a "remaillage" operation - a technical term used in Breton architecture to describe the joining together of two adjoining structures. This original duality explains some of the slight irregularities in the façade, skilfully corrected by a unified treatment of the openings and levels. The two protruding corners at first floor level have been treated in a canted style, an elegant solution that softens the corners and allows small windows to discreetly punctuate the composition. Inside, the sculpted fireplaces are the highlight of the visit: their mantels, probably adorned with heraldic and floral motifs, illustrate the care taken with the performance spaces. The carefully preserved exposed-beam floors recreate the atmosphere of the great courtrooms and reception rooms of the 16th century, where woodwork played as important a decorative role as stone.
Related Figures
Jean II de Rohan (1452-1516) — prince de Rohan dont la seigneurie encadre la construction de l'édifice au début du XVIe siècleLa famille de Rohan — dynasty nobiliaire bretonne, commanditaires présumés ou suzerains du bâtimentLes collecteurs royaux de la gabelle — agents administratifs qui occupèrent l'édifice dès sa fondation en 1511Les juges seigneuriaux de Pont-Scorff — magistrats locaux ayant exercé leur fonction dans cet hôtel pendant plus de deux sièclesLes architectes et tailleurs de pierre bretons du XVIe siècle — artisans anonymes responsables des remarquables lucarnes sculptées
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Ancienne maison des Princes de Rohan, actuellement mairie located?
Ancienne maison des Princes de Rohan, actuellement mairie is located in Pont-Scorff, Département 56 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Ancienne maison des Princes de Rohan, actuellement mairie built?
Ancienne maison des Princes de Rohan, actuellement mairie dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Ancienne maison des Princes de Rohan, actuellement mairie open to visitors?
Ancienne maison des Princes de Rohan, actuellement mairie is currently closed to visitors.
