Fontaine de Longueville
MonumentHidden Treasure
Fontaine de Longueville, located in Locmalo (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
- Locmalo, Département 56, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.0536, -3.2129
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00091376
In the heart of Morbihan, the Fontaine de Longueville in Locmalo captivates with its four massive balusters framing a rectangular pool and its elegant classical triangular pediment. A discreet jewel of the Breton 18th century.
History
Nestling in the village of Locmalo, a small rural community in Morbihan in the heart of inland Brittany, the Fontaine de Longueville is one of those modest yet precious works of art that Breton heritage has managed to preserve from oblivion. Listed as a historic monument by decree since 1935, it bears witness to the special attachment that the people of Brittany have always had to water - a source of life, faith and collective memory. What first strikes the visitor is the skilful simplicity of the composition. A rectangular basin - the swimming pool - is set within a neat architectural framework, bordered by four large stone balusters that lend the whole an almost solemn dignity. To the rear, a background motif structured around a niche and a triangular pediment gives the fountain the appearance of a small building in its own right, far more than just a simple water feature. The visitor experience is intimate and contemplative. There are no crowds or tourist hustle and bustle here: you come to the Fontaine de Longueville to get to the heart of the matter, to feel the silent continuity between the Brittany of yesteryear and the Brittany of today. The moss on the stone, the reflection of the sky in the still water, the gentle coolness emanating from the pool - everything invites you to slow down and observe. The surrounding setting, typical of the Morbihan bocage with its bushy hedges, sunken lanes and hamlet-villages, accentuates this sense of a place out of time. The fountain is part of a dense network of springs and votive fountains dotted around inland Brittany, each with its own legend and ritual uses. Longueville isn't the most spectacular of them all, but it's precisely its discretion that makes it so endearing. For photographers and lovers of rural heritage, this fountain offers a rare architectural composition: the symmetry of the balusters, the play of light and shadow on the grey stone, the eye-catching niche - all elements that make this modest monument a memorable stop-off on the roads of deep Morbihan.
Architecture
The architectural composition of the Fontaine de Longueville is typical of 18th-century Breton rural monumental fountains, in which the utilitarian function of collecting water in an accessible basin is combined with a strong representative and decorative dimension. The rectangular basin, carved from local stone, forms the functional heart of the whole: it is the pool, a term traditionally used to describe the reservoir of a sacred or public fountain. The architectural surround is the most remarkable feature. Four large stone balusters frame the pool, forming a sort of monumental balustrade that defines the space of the fountain and gives it a sculptural presence. These balusters, characteristic of the French classical repertoire, are treated here with a robustness that betrays the hand of a regional craftsman who has mastered academic codes without applying them academically. They bear witness to the constant dialogue in Brittany between influences from the Île-de-France region and local stone-working traditions. The background motif - niche and triangular pediment - forms the focal point of the composition. The niche, probably intended to house a statue of a saint or Virgin Mary, recalls the votive dimension of many Breton fountains. The triangular pediment, borrowed from classical vocabulary, crowns the whole with elegant sobriety, creating an effect of monumentality on a small scale that was very characteristic of French rural architecture in the late Grand Siècle.
Related Figures
Artisans tailleurs de pierre morbihannais du XVIIIe siècle (bâtisseurs présumés de la fontaine)Curés de la paroisse de Locmalo (commanditaires probables et gardiens du monument au fil des siècles)Inspecteurs des monuments historiques de la Direction des Beaux-Arts (responsables de l'inscription en 1935)Seigneurs locaux de la région de Locmalo (mécènes présumés de la construction au XVIIIe siècle)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Fontaine de Longueville located?
Fontaine de Longueville is located in Locmalo, Département 56 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Fontaine de Longueville built?
Fontaine de Longueville dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Fontaine de Longueville open to visitors?
Fontaine de Longueville is currently closed to visitors.