Château de la Motte-Basse
CastleHidden Treasure
Château de la Motte-Basse, located in Le Gouray (Département 22), is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- Castle
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- Le Gouray, Département 22, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.3210, -2.4768
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00089170
A former feudal motte transformed into a stately home in the 18th century, La Motte-Basse features dormer windows and a curved roof over the Arguenon River, set in formal gardens.
History
Nestling in the Bretillian bocage of Le Gouray, on the edge of the Côtes-d'Armor department, La Motte-Basse is one of those rare places where several centuries of human presence can be read in stone like an open book. What we see today as an elegant seigneurial residence actually conceals a long memory: that of a feudal motte that once watched over the meandering Arguenon, before being gradually transformed, dressed and embellished over the generations. What makes La Motte-Basse so special is precisely this visible layering of eras. The main building, topped by a Breton-style curved roof with two rows of dormer windows and oculi, stands side by side with a pavilion added in 1748, and later with a square tower topped by a cupola and lantern - a twentieth-century addition that might have seemed incongruous, but instead gives the whole complex a silhouette of astonishing variety. The courtyard of honour, enclosed by a wrought iron gate, still contains the former seigneurial bakery with its ovens, a touching reminder of domestic life in days gone by. The visit offers an immersion in the Breton aristocratic lifestyle of the Age of Enlightenment. The interiors have preserved remarkably coherent period furniture and woodwork, while the chapel - restored in 1758 - houses a large 1691 painting of the Annunciation, of surprisingly high pictorial quality for a private oratory. Its funerary litres, whitewashed during the Revolution to remove the seigneurial coat of arms, tell the story of the turmoil of an era. The outside setting adds to the magic of the place. The rectangular pond, dominated by a French-style terrace, and the fountain surmounted by a cross dated 1733 create a garden of classic sobriety, in perfect harmony with the architecture. The estate exudes the serenity of a long-established home, far removed from the ostentation of the great châteaux of the Loire, but rich in an authenticity that will appeal to the discerning visitor.
Architecture
The architecture of La Motte-Basse is a fascinating palimpsest in which the layers of several centuries are superimposed. The foundations and walls of the main building retain the structure of an ancient medieval fortification, the mass of which was clad in finely dressed ashlar in the 18th century. Its curved roof - a characteristic feature of classical Breton architecture - is pierced by two registers of dormers and oculi, which give the façade an elegant, luminous rhythm. The château also has a seigniorial cordon, a horizontal moulding that runs along the façade and confirms the rank of its owners. The square tower added in the 20th century, topped with a cupola and lantern, adds a picturesque touch that breaks pleasantly with the classical severity of the whole. The courtyard of honour, enclosed by a fine wrought iron gate inherited from the redesign of 1800, forms a coherent space where the former seigneurial bakery with its bread ovens remains - precious testimony to the economic autarky of the great noble estates. The chaplain's building, with its two pyramid-roofed pavilions, frames the whole with measured symmetry. The chapel, restored in 1758, contains a large painting of the Annunciation dating from 1691, and its whitewashed windows are a rare historical document. The interior spaces have preserved their period features with remarkable integrity: wood panelling, fireplaces and 18th-century decor coexist in a stylistic coherence that makes La Motte-Basse a precious example of Breton classical taste. Outside, the formal garden with its walled rectangular pond, its dominant terrace and its 1733 cross fountain complete a beautifully unified landscape.
Related Figures
Seigneurs médiévaux du Gouray, bâtisseurs de la motte féodale originelleFamille noble bretonne du XVIIIe siècle, commanditaire de l'agrandissement de 1748Chapelain résidant, pour lequel fut construit le logis à pavillons pyramidauxArtiste peintre anonyme, auteur de la grande Annonciation de 1691Propriétaire du début du XIXe siècle, responsable de la suppression des douves en 1800Propriétaire du XXe siècle, commanditaire de la tour à coupole et lanternon
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Château de la Motte-Basse located?
Château de la Motte-Basse is located in Le Gouray, Département 22 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Château de la Motte-Basse built?
Château de la Motte-Basse dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Château de la Motte-Basse open to visitors?
Château de la Motte-Basse is currently closed to visitors.
