Manoir de Coedigo-Malenfant
ManorHidden Treasure
Manoir de Coedigo-Malenfant, located in Saint-Avé (Département 56), 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
- Saint-Avé, Département 56, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.6823, -2.7628
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00091813
On the outskirts of Vannes, this 1588 Renaissance manor house conceals a history of bourgeois ambitions and a genius architect. Its dated dormer window and stair tower make it a discreet jewel of Morbihan.
History
Nestling on the northern outskirts of Vannes, halfway between the walled city and the countryside of inland Morbihan, the manor house of Coedigo-Malenfant stands out as one of the most eloquent examples of Breton residential architecture from the late 16th century. Far from the splendour of the great châteaux, it embodies that rare and precious category of merchant's manor house, where economic success is expressed in stone with as much elegance as sobriety. What distinguishes Coedigo-Malenfant from contemporary aristocratic residences is precisely its bourgeois nature: built for a prosperous merchant, it reflects the cultural aspirations of the new Breton merchant elite, fond of Renaissance references without abandoning local building traditions. The ornate dormer window bearing the date 1588 is the most visible expression of this, a veritable signature engraved in the stone like an architectural ex-libris. The experience of the visit is that of an intimate discovery. The visitor's first glimpse is of the sober main façade, before spotting the cylindrical tower housing the staircase on the rear elevation - a typical feature of Renaissance Breton manor houses. The north wing, added in the following century, reveals the changing needs and tastes of a family that settled here over time. The surrounding area, on the edge of the Vannes conurbation but still open to the bocage countryside, reinforces this feeling of being on the border of two worlds: that of the merchant town and that of the seigneurial countryside. For the attentive visitor, Coedigo-Malenfant is as much a lesson in social history as it is in architecture.
Architecture
The Coedigo-Malenfant manor house is in the tradition of late-Renaissance Breton residential architecture, combining influences from the French Mannerist movement with well-established regional building practices. The main building has a simple, rational layout: two superimposed rooms on the ground and first floors, a configuration typical of medium-sized Breton manor houses, which favours functionality without sacrificing order. The main facade, sober and well-balanced, is enlivened by the ornate dormer window bearing the date 1588, whose sculpted entablature is the only real exterior decorative feature - but one of undoubted finesse, with its classicising mouldings betraying an expert hand. On the rear façade, the cylindrical tower housing the staircase is the most characteristic feature of the Breton Renaissance manor house: this construction solution, inherited from the Middle Ages but persisting in Brittany long after it had been sidelined in regions more directly influenced by Italy, provides vertical access independent of the living rooms. The materials used are those of the local tradition, probably granite and slate schist, which are ubiquitous in construction in Brittany, giving the building the characteristic grey hue of Breton homes. The north wing, added in the 17th century, extends the ensemble northwards and creates the beginnings of an interior courtyard, a common feature of Breton rural dwellings from this period. Although its vocabulary is slightly more restrained than that of the main building, it blends harmoniously into the ensemble thanks to the continuity of its materials and the consistency of its heights. As a result, the whole bears particularly clear witness to the development of a middle-class residence over more than a century of construction.
Related Figures
Jacques Colombel — marchand drapier vannetais, commanditaire présumé du manoir vers 1585-1588Olivier Delourme — architecte vannetais, propriétaire du manoir à partir de 1719, auteur des châteaux de Loyat et de Kerguéhennec
Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Manoir de Coedigo-Malenfant located?
Manoir de Coedigo-Malenfant is located in Saint-Avé, Département 56 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Manoir de Coedigo-Malenfant built?
Manoir de Coedigo-Malenfant dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Manoir de Coedigo-Malenfant open to visitors?
Manoir de Coedigo-Malenfant is currently closed to visitors.