Immeubles
MonumentHidden Treasure
Immeubles, located in Concarneau (Département 29), 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
- Concarneau, Département 29, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.8694, -3.9173
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00089894
In the heart of Concarneau, this 17th-century shipowner's building reveals a courtyard with a square well and a living room with honeycomb wood panelling of rare elegance - an intimate portrait of Brittany's maritime bourgeoisie.
History
Nestling in the historic fabric of Concarneau, this shipowner's residence is one of the most authentic examples of Breton civil architecture from the late 17th century. Far from the sumptuous mansions of the nobility, it embodies the sober, functional elegance of a prosperous merchant class whose fortunes were built on the waters of the Atlantic and the great fishing routes. The layout of the building around a rectangular courtyard is both practical and representative: it protects commercial activities while displaying a strong social status. At the centre of this paved courtyard, a square well with a projecting coping punctuates the space with a sober monumentality, reminding us that water was at the heart of all domestic and craft life in the Breton ports of the time. Inside, the visitor is in for a major surprise: the 18th-century salon in the west wing. Its wood panelling carved in "honeycomb" panels bears witness to a rare level of decorative refinement for a provincial bourgeois home. The panelled doors adorned with wrought ironwork complete the ensemble, revealing the taste of an owner in tune with Parisian fashions and the skills of the best craftsmen of his time. To visit these buildings is to plunge into the intimacy of a vanished world: that of the great shipowners of Concarneau who, from their counters and courtyards, organised the trade in sardines, tuna and cod, financed far-flung expeditions and shaped the economy of a booming port. The building, which has been protected as a Historic Monument since 1971, can be visited with the duality typical of trading houses in mind: the discretion of the façade and the hidden wealth of the interior.
Architecture
The architecture of these buildings is in keeping with the tradition of Breton merchant houses of the late 17th century, characterised by a very sober exterior and rigorous functional organisation. All the buildings are arranged around a rectangular courtyard, forming a U-shaped or closed quadrilateral plan typical of the merchant houses on the Atlantic seaboard. This layout ensures that access is controlled, goods are protected and family life is private. At the centre of the courtyard, the square well with its projecting coping is the unifying element of the composition, the geometric point around which the domestic space is organised. The great architectural originality of the ensemble lies in the drawing room preserved in the west wing, a true jewel of the 18th century. Its wood panelling, carved in "honeycomb" panels - a geometric pattern of interlocking rhombuses or hexagons characteristic of the first half of the 18th century - adorns the walls with exceptionally fine decoration. The panelled doors, embellished with wrought ironwork and elegant foliage, complete this interior of rare stylistic coherence. These decorative elements reveal the skills of craftsmen with a perfect command of the codes of the Regency style and the nascent Louis XV period, whether they were local or called in from the great artistic centres of the kingdom.
Related Figures
Armateurs concarnois du XVIIe siècle (bâtisseurs présumés de la demeure)Artisans menuisiers et ferroniers bretons du XVIIIe siècle (auteurs des boiseries et ferronneries du salon)Inspecteurs des Monuments Historiques (initiateurs de la protection en 1971)
Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Immeubles located?
Immeubles is located in Concarneau, Département 29 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Immeubles built?
Immeubles dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Immeubles open to visitors?
Immeubles is currently closed to visitors.