Immeubles
MonumentHidden Treasure
Immeubles, located in Quimperlé (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
- Quimperlé, Département 29, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.8709, -3.5478
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00090382
In the heart of medieval Quimperlé, these 15th-century buildings bear witness to the opulence of Breton merchants, with their carved timber-framed walls and corbels characteristic of the Finistère civil Gothic style.
History
Along the cobbled streets of Quimperlé, where the Isole and Ellé rivers join to form the Laïta, a number of timber-framed facades seem to have frozen time in the heart of the 15th century. Listed as Historic Monuments since 1928, these buildings form one of the best-preserved groups of medieval houses in Finistère, silent witnesses to a prosperous town based on the powerful trade of the early Middle Ages in Brittany. What makes these buildings so remarkable is that they belong to the civil Gothic architectural vocabulary, so rare in inland Brittany. The timber-framed structures - exposed beams filled with wattle and daub or masonry - the runners decorated with plant motifs or grimacing figures, and the corbelled storeys that gradually extend into the street create an exceptionally coherent urban silhouette. It's easy to imagine the linen, leather and dried fish merchants who used to trade in these streets when Quimperlé was one of Cornouaille's leading commercial towns. The experience of visiting the town is first and foremost that of a sensitive stroll through the lower town, along the banks of the Laïta. The façades can be seen with the naked eye from the street, with no access restrictions, and visitors are invited to raise their heads to observe the sculpted details nestling high up. The low-angled, golden morning light brings out the mouldings and ribs of the exposed beams with particular generosity. Set in a living urban fabric, these buildings are not museologised relics: they still house shops and homes, giving them a rare authenticity. Their early listing as Historic Monuments, in 1928, testifies to the keen awareness that the heritage authorities had of their value at the beginning of the 20th century, long before the protection of urban heritage became an institutional matter of course.
Architecture
These buildings in Quimper are part of the Gothic timber-framed civil architecture typical of 15th-century Breton market towns. The load-bearing structure is made up of an oak framework - posts, runners, scarps and reliefs - the gaps between which are filled with cob or rubble masonry. The upper storeys overhang the street, a technique that maximised living space while creating the characteristic silhouette of narrow medieval streets. The street facades are punctuated by stone or wooden mullioned windows, some of which have survived in partially altered forms. Carved ornamentation is one of the major attractions of these buildings. The runners - long horizontal beams connecting the posts - bear low-relief carvings: foliage scrolls, grotesques, figures of men and hybrid animals reminiscent of medieval bestiary. The corner posts, particularly exposed at the corners of the façades, sometimes feature statuettes or sculpted bases. These motifs establish a formal dialogue with the sculpture adorning the rood screens and porches of contemporary Breton churches, revealing the existence of multi-skilled local workshops mastering both stone and wood. The steeply pitched roofs were originally covered with slate from Anjou or Finistère, a material that is omnipresent in regional architecture. The interior floors rest on exposed oak joists, and the eaves walls still have traces of carved mantelpieces typical of late medieval bourgeois comfort.
Related Figures
Prosper Mérimée — inspecteur général des Monuments Historiques, pionnier de la reconnaissance du patrimoine médiéval breton au XIXe siècleLes maîtres charpentiers quimperlois du XVe siècle — artisans anonymes à l'origine des sculptures sur bois ornant ces façadesLes marchands bourgeois de Cornouaille — commanditaires de ces demeures, enrichis par le commerce du lin, du cuir et des produits de la merLes abbés de l'abbaye Sainte-Croix de Quimperlé — dont le rayonnement économique et culturel favorisa l'essor urbain à l'origine de ce bâtiLes architectes des Bâtiments de France du XXe siècle — responsables des campagnes de restauration et de la protection patrimoniale de ces édifices
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Immeubles located?
Immeubles is located in Quimperlé, 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.
