Colombier de Maros
MonumentHidden Treasure
Colombier de Maros, located in Plouagat (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
- Plouagat, Département 22, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.5362, -2.9669
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00089450
The solitary remnant of a vanished castle, the Maros dovecote rises up from its circular silhouette in the heart of Brittany's Trégor region. Its rare 17th-century ribbed cupola makes it a little-known gem of Brittany's rural heritage.
History
Nestling in the lush green meadows of Plouagat, in the Côtes-d'Armor region of Brittany, stands a silent reminder of a Breton aristocracy that no longer exists: the Maros dovecote. The only survivor of a castle of which no trace remains, this circular edifice is as intriguing for its sober exterior as for the sophistication of its interior, characteristic of a seigniorial art of living long gone. What makes the Maros dovecote truly unique is the extraordinary ribbed dome that crowns its interior. A rare example of this type of vaulting in a Breton farm building, it is more reminiscent of a chapel or noble hall than a simple dovecote. The stone ribs, radiating from a central keystone, give the space an unexpected elegance, revealing the rank and aesthetic ambitions of its 17th-century patrons. A visit to the dovecote is an intimate and contemplative experience. The building can be discovered in just a few steps, but its interior demands close attention: the niches lined up in regular registers, once intended to house hundreds of pairs of pigeons, and the ribbed vault that rises above the visitor create an almost sacred atmosphere, halfway between a medieval tower and an oratory. The bucolic setting of the Maros farm, with its farm buildings dating from the early 19th century, completes this picture of unspoilt Brittany. Far from the tourist crowds, this listed monument will appeal to lovers of authentic rural heritage, to photographers in search of the soft light filtered through the old stones, and to all those who like to decipher the forgotten fragments of a seigneurial history in the French countryside.
Architecture
The Maros dovecote takes the form of a circular tower, typical of Breton lordly dovecotes from the 16th and 17th centuries. Its stone walls, probably made of local granite - the material of choice in the Côtes-d'Armor region - give it the austere mineral appearance typical of rural buildings in the Trégor region. The building is topped by a conical slate roof, in keeping with regional custom, whose pointed silhouette stands out elegantly against the Breton sky. The interior reveals the monument's true architectural singularity: a dome with stone ribs that surmounts the cylindrical space. This vaulted structure, with its radiating edges rising from a central keystone to the jambs, is of rare sophistication for a building of this type. It is reminiscent of late Gothic techniques still in use in certain 17th-century Breton workshops. The interior walls are pierced with regular rows of boulins, stone niches designed to accommodate the nests of pigeons, of which there must have been several hundred, attesting to the importance of the seigneurial estate. The entrance door, probably surmounted by a moulded lintel or semi-circular arch, and the absence of windows - characteristic of dovecotes to protect birds from predators and the wind - make up a simple but balanced façade. The ensemble of farm buildings dating from 1800 forms a coherent rural setting around the dovecote, providing an interesting example of the continuity of occupation of a site between the Ancien Régime and the early 19th century.
Related Figures
Seigneurs de Maros (XVIIe siècle) — commanditaires présumés du colombier et du château disparuPropriétaires post-révolutionnaires de la ferme de Maros (vers 1800) — responsables de la reconstruction des bâtiments agricolesArchitectes des Bâtiments de France (XXe siècle) — acteurs de l'instruction du dossier d'inscription aux Monuments HistoriquesFamilles paysannes de Plouagat (XIXe-XXe siècle) — gardiens discrets du colombier au fil des générations
Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Colombier de Maros located?
Colombier de Maros is located in Plouagat, Département 22 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Colombier de Maros built?
Colombier de Maros dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Colombier de Maros open to visitors?
Colombier de Maros is currently closed to visitors.