Manoir de Boisfeuillet
ManorHidden Treasure
Manoir de Boisfeuillet, located in Pluduno (Département 22), is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- Manor
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- Pluduno, Département 22, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.5363, -2.2706
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00089526
A discreet jewel of the Penthièvre region, the Boisfeuillet manor house with its pedimented dormer windows and granite masonry stands in the heart of the Costarmorican countryside. An elegant example of Breton seigneurial architecture from the 17th century.
History
Nestling in the countryside around Pluduno, on the borders of the Lamballe and Penthièvre regions, the Manoir de Boisfeuillet is one of those rural Breton buildings that combine sobriety and refinement without ever becoming ostentatious. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1927, it bears witness to the quality of seigniorial architecture typical of the 17th century in the Costarmor region, where local stone dictated both the form and the soul of the buildings. What sets Boisfeuillet apart from other manor houses in Brittany is precisely this balance between the rigour of the grey granite and the discreet decorative flourishes - moulded dormers, meticulous window surrounds, well-proportioned chimney stacks - that signal the desire of a provincial noble family to assert its rank without competing with the great residences of the Loire Valley. The manor house belongs to the category of buildings that art historians describe as 'manors of comfort', where domestic life takes precedence over military representation. A tour of the grounds reveals a coherent ensemble: the main building, discreet outbuildings and the remains of an enclosed garden, whose layout betrays a concern for organisation inherited from the architectural treatises circulating in France at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries. The preserved hedged farmland environment reinforces the sense of temporal isolation that makes these Armorican manor houses so charming. For photographers and lovers of rural architecture, Boisfeuillet offers some striking angles, particularly in the low-angled light of late afternoon when the granite takes on honey and slate hues. For the amateur historian, it embodies a concrete page in the history of the small Breton nobility after the League, seeking to rebuild and modernise their homes in a context of restored peace.
Architecture
The Boisfeuillet manor house is typical of 17th-century Breton manor house architecture, a pivotal period when late Renaissance influences merged with local building traditions. The main building, constructed of local granite - the hard, grey stone that is the hallmark of Armorican buildings - has a facade arranged around a slightly projecting central bay. The mullioned or transomed windows, topped by straight or slightly arched lintels, are framed by carefully matched ashlar jambs, testifying to the care taken with the architectural details. The roof, covered in natural slate from Anjou or Brittany according to regional custom, is punctuated by dormer windows with triangular or curved pediments that add a discreet decorative touch to the whole. The massive chimney stacks, typical of homes from this period in the Côtes-d'Armor region, bear witness to the importance attached to interior comfort and domestic life. The outbuildings, laid out in angle-ways or as separate wings, form a coherent functional whole with the main dwelling, typical of the organisation of seigneurial rural farms. Inside, we can assume that there is an upper room with an exposed roof frame, monumental fireplaces with moulded mantels and soberly worked wood panelling, in keeping with the customs of the Breton nobility of the Grand Siècle. The stone spiral staircase or wooden ramp-on-ramp staircase is generally the centrepiece of the interior layout in this type of manor house.
Related Figures
Famille seigneuriale de Boisfeuillet — lignée noble locale, vraisemblables commanditaires de la reconstruction du XVIIe siècleNoblesse de robe du Penthièvre — réseau social auquel appartient la famille propriétaire, acteurs de l'administration bretonne sous l'Ancien RégimeInspecteurs des Monuments Historiques (années 1920) — agents de l'État ayant instruit le dossier d'inscription de 1927Maîtres maçons bretons anonymes — artisans locaux ayant mis en œuvre la construction en granite, transmetteurs d'un savoir-faire régional multisécullaire
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Manoir de Boisfeuillet located?
Manoir de Boisfeuillet is located in Pluduno, Département 22 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Manoir de Boisfeuillet built?
Manoir de Boisfeuillet dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Manoir de Boisfeuillet open to visitors?
Manoir de Boisfeuillet is currently closed to visitors.