Château de la Salette-de-Cucé
CastleHidden Treasure
Château de la Salette-de-Cucé, located in Cesson-Sévigné (Département 35), 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
- Cesson-Sévigné, Département 35, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.0937, -1.6005
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00090516
An elegant 18th-century château nestling in the walled grounds of Cesson-Sévigné, Château de la Salette-de-Cucé boasts a pavilion facade, a wrought-iron balcony and a domed roof crowned by a gerbera with Leonine ornamentation.
History
At the heart of Rennes' green belt, Château de la Salette-de-Cucé stands in Cesson-Sévigné as an accomplished example of Breton seigneurial architecture from the Age of Enlightenment. Designed by the architect Binet, this harmonious ensemble combines French classical rigour with the refined decorative taste typical of the grand residences of the parliamentary nobility of Rennes. Its listing as a Historic Monument in 1970 confirms the heritage value of a building that is all too often overlooked on major tourist routes. What immediately sets the Salette-de-Cucé apart is the composite silhouette of its roofs: a succession of pavilions with different roof coverings creates a lively, almost picturesque profile that breaks with the monotony of some single-storey châteaux. The domed roof of the central pavilion, pierced by an imposing gerbera decorated with lion heads, inverted brackets and falling fruit, is in itself a veritable piece of architectural sculpture. Here we can see the influence of the master masons of Rennes who, after the great fire of 1720, remodelled the town in a classicist style tempered with Baroque exuberance. The western facade, articulated around a central pavilion framed by recessed bodies and projecting wings, offers a lesson in balance and symmetry. The first-floor balcony, made of finely worked wrought iron and supported by four consoles with scrolls and acanthus leaves, is one of the finest examples of wrought ironwork in the Rennes area. Above, the large triangular moulded pediment, embellished with a rose window and foliage, adds to the overall distinction that characterises the great houses of the Breton bourgeoisie and dress. The château is surrounded by walled parkland, the mineral fencing of which isolates a world of its own, untouched by the urban sprawl of Rennes. The late eighteenth-century chapel in the north wing, with its canted apse, testifies to the persistence of a domestic spiritual life and reminds us that these grand residences were veritable autonomous microcosms. A visit, even from the outside, is a measure of the quality of the architecture, with attention paid to every detail.
Architecture
Château de la Salette-de-Cucé was designed by the architect Binet, and is representative of regional French classicism as it flourished in Brittany in the 18th century. The western facade, the most elaborate, follows a classic tripartite composition: a dominant central pavilion, two slightly recessed buildings and two projecting wings that enclose the whole in a dynamic movement. This organisation, inherited from the vocabulary of the great Parisian private mansions, gives the building a look that is both aristocratic and welcoming. The ornamental wealth of the façade is concentrated in several remarkable features. On the first floor, a finely wrought iron balcony, supported by four scrolled and acanthus-leaf brackets, illustrates the excellence of Breton ironwork during the Age of Enlightenment. The second floor is crowned by a large moulded triangular pediment, the tympanum of which is enlivened by a central rose window flanked by two scrolling foliage scrolls - a motif characteristic of the Louis XV decorative repertoire. Finally, the silhouette is dominated by a domed roof, the real centrepiece of the composition, pierced by a large gerbera with sculptural ornamentation: two inverted brackets, two fruit falls suspended from rings, all framed by lion heads that appear to be standing guard. The roofs, which vary in shape and profile, give the building a lively, almost picturesque silhouette that sets it apart from castles with uniformly classical facades. The north wing houses the private chapel, built at the end of the 18th century to replace an older building. The sober façade is distinguished by its apse with canted sides, an elegant architectural solution for fitting a liturgical space into a constrained rectangular volume. The entire estate is surrounded by a wall enclosing a park, a testament to the art of gardening and the desire of these great families to create private green spaces on the outskirts of Rennes.
Related Figures
Binet — architecte, concepteur du château au XVIIIe sièclePropriétaires successifs de la noblesse parlementaire rennaise (XVIIIe siècle)Commanditaires anonymes de la reconstruction (milieu XVIIIe siècle)Artisans ferroniers rennais, auteurs du balcon en fer forgéChapelains domestiques de la chapelle privée (fin XVIIIe siècle)
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Château de la Salette-de-Cucé located?
Château de la Salette-de-Cucé is located in Cesson-Sévigné, Département 35 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Château de la Salette-de-Cucé built?
Château de la Salette-de-Cucé dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Château de la Salette-de-Cucé open to visitors?
Château de la Salette-de-Cucé is currently closed to visitors.
