Immeuble
MonumentHidden Treasure
Immeuble, located in Rennes (Département 35), 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
- Rennes, Département 35, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.1125, -1.6785
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00090732
A jewel of 18th-century civil architecture in Rennes, this building, listed as a Historic Monument since 1942, embodies the sober elegance of the classical Breton style, with its granite facades and finely worked mullioned windows.
History
In the heart of Rennes, a city rebuilt after the devastating fire of 1720, stands this remarkable building that bears witness to the architectural revival of the Breton capital in the first half of the 18th century. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1942, it belongs to the generation of civil buildings that shaped the new face of Rennes, substituting ashlar and slate for the medieval timber-framed buildings that disappeared in the flames. What sets this building apart in the urban fabric of Rennes is precisely the quality of its architecture: a synthesis between French classicism, then triumphant in Paris, and Breton building traditions, which favoured the solidity of local granite and ornamental sobriety. The façade reveals a rigorous composition, punctuated by regular bays, stone stringcourses and finely profiled cornices, characteristic of the town's period of planned reconstruction. To visit this building, or simply to look at it from the street, is to plunge into the urban history of a city that, in the aftermath of disaster, reinvented its architectural identity under the impetus of great builders. It is part of a coherent whole that is now the pride of the historic centre of Rennes, ranked as one of the most beautiful in Brittany. The surrounding area adds to the interest of the visit: the cobbled streets, the neighbouring town houses and the views from the geometric squares designed after 1720 offer a striking architectural dialogue between different periods in Rennes' history. Lovers of urban heritage will find plenty of material here for an in-depth exploration of 18th-century Brittany.
Architecture
Built according to the precepts of French classicism as it was interpreted in 18th-century Brittany, this building features a carefully ordered façade, typical of the buildings that emerged from the post-1720 reconstruction plan for Rennes. The vertical composition is arranged in regular bays, punctuated by windows with moulded frames and wrought-iron window sills, while ashlar horizontal bands underline each level, imposing a clear, hierarchical reading of the elevation. The materials used reflect the resources of the Breton region: local granite, robust and slightly rough, dominates the construction of the walls, while the roof is covered in Breton slate, a material that is omnipresent in regional architecture. These choices of materials give the building a sober, enduring tone, far removed from the ornamental profusion of the Baroque, and fully in keeping with the tempered seriousness of provincial taste at the time of the Enlightenment. The interior layout probably follows the traditional layout of middle-class buildings of the period: entrance from the courtyard or vestibule with a stone baluster staircase, adjoining flats on the upper floors, kitchen and pantries on the ground floor or mezzanine. The interior woodwork - panelling, trunking, fireplaces with moulded architraves - is probably the most refined decorative feature of the building, reflecting the level of comfort and elegance sought by the original owners.
Related Figures
Jacques Gabriel (architecte, concepteur du plan de reconstruction de Rennes après 1720)Louis XV (roi de France, tutelle royale sur la reconstruction de Rennes)Ange-Jacques Gabriel (fils de Jacques Gabriel, poursuivit l'œuvre paternelle à Rennes)Les maîtres maçons et tailleurs de pierre rennais du XVIIIe siècle, artisans anonymes de la reconstructionLe commanditaire bourgeois ou parlementaire initial, figure typique de la notabilité rennaise post-incendie
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Immeuble located?
Immeuble is located in Rennes, Département 35 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Immeuble built?
Immeuble dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Immeuble open to visitors?
Immeuble is currently closed to visitors.
