Deux maisons
MonumentHidden Treasure
Deux maisons, located in Dinan (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
- Dinan, Département 22, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00089104
In the heart of the old town of Dinan, these two listed medieval houses embody the soul of the corsair town, with their carved timber-framed facades and corbels typical of medieval Brittany.
History
Nestling in the cobbled streets of old Dinan, one of Brittany's best-preserved medieval towns, these two houses, listed as Historic Monuments since 1926, are a striking example of Breton civil architecture from the medieval period. Their timber-framed facades, punctuated by skilfully assembled half-timbering, stand like pages from a vernacular architecture manual, set in stone and oak for several centuries. What makes these houses truly exceptional is their remarkable state of preservation in a protected urban fabric. In Dinan, the timber-framed houses with corbels are more than just tourist curiosities: they form a rare architectural continuity in France, where each overhang, each carved eaves, each corner post tells the story of a vanished craft and a bygone trading prosperity. These two houses are the most accomplished expression of this. The experience of visiting the exterior is in itself a history lesson: the exposed beams, patinated by the centuries, the mullioned windows and the sculpted details invite the eye to lose itself in the details. The attentive visitor will discover floral motifs, grotesque figures and interlacing patterns typical of Breton craftsmanship in the late Middle Ages. The setting, for its part, amplifies the emotion: the street where these houses stand is part of an exceptional urban ensemble, punctuated by towers, ramparts and other historic residences that form one of the most coherent medieval panoramas in western France. Photographers and heritage enthusiasts will find it an inexhaustible source of inspiration at any time of day, as the low-angled light of the morning or evening transforms the façades into living tableaux.
Architecture
These two houses perfectly illustrate the type of timber-framed house with corbels, characteristic of 15th and 16th century Breton civil architecture. The load-bearing structure is made up of an oak frame - an abundant wood in inland Brittany - with posts, runners, stiles and beams forming a visible grid on the façade. The successive corbels allow each floor to extend slightly over the previous one, a strategy that increases the living space while protecting the façades from the rain, a key climatic constraint in Brittany. The facades feature sculpted ornamentation on the exposed timbers: coved mouldings, stylised plant motifs and decorative figures typical of the flamboyant Gothic repertoire and the Renaissance transition. The mullioned and transomed windows are proportioned according to the canons of the period, while the granite base - a rock that is omnipresent in the Côtes-d'Armor region - firmly anchors the buildings in the Breton soil. The roofs, probably covered in slate from Angers or the Trélazé region, have a steep slope adapted to the rainfall in the Armor region, giving these houses the silhouette that is so characteristic of the Dinannais urban landscape.
Related Figures
Prosper Mérimée — inspecteur général des Monuments Historiques, pionnier de la protection du patrimoine breton au XIXe siècleBertrand Du Guesclin — connétable de France natif de la région de Dinan, dont la présence hante toute la mémoire de la citéLes ducs de Bretagne — suzerains de Dinan, artisans de la prospérité urbaine qui permit l'essor de l'architecture civile médiévaleLes marchands drapiers dinannais — commanditaires probables de ces demeures, enrichis par le commerce textile médiévalLes charpentiers-maîtres de l'époque gothique — artisans anonymes dont le savoir-faire exceptionnel se lit dans chaque assemblage de bois
Map
Coordinates not available for this monument.
Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Deux maisons located?
Deux maisons is located in Dinan, Département 22 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Deux maisons built?
Deux maisons dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Deux maisons open to visitors?
Deux maisons is currently closed to visitors.