Manoir de Lezaven
MonumentHidden Treasure
Manoir de Lezaven, located in Pont-Aven (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
- Pont-Aven, Département 29, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.8552, -3.7522
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00135269
A 15th-century Breton manor house nestling in Pont-Aven, Lezaven owes its fame to Gauguin and the American school of painting - a stone setting where Impressionist art took root.
History
In the heart of Pont-Aven, the Finistère village that 19th-century painters elevated to mythical status, the manor house of Lezaven stands as one of the most intimate witnesses to the artistic effervescence that transformed this village into the world capital of plein-air painting. Far from the grandiloquence of the châteaux of the Loire, it embodies the elegant sobriety of Breton manorial architecture, whose grey stone and compact volumes seem to have been designed to withstand the vagaries of the Atlantic climate as much as to survive the centuries. What sets Lezaven apart from all the other manor houses in Brittany is the painter's studio built around 1865 in a building extending the dwelling to the west. This light-filled space, designed to accommodate large canvases, quickly became the nerve centre of the American school of Pont-Aven, led by the painter Robert Wylie. Artists from Boston, New York and Philadelphia came here to work from life, attracted by the golden light of the Aven valley and the unique hospitality of the place. Paul Gauguin himself walked the flagstones of this manor house on two memorable occasions. Although his presence in Pont-Aven is more often associated with the Gloanec boarding house or the undergrowth of the Bois d'Amour, Lezaven was a founding stage for him - a place for work and meditation where, according to art historians, he forged some of the ideas that would lead to synthesism and, later, to the great canvases of Tahiti. To visit Lezaven Manor today is to wander through a layered architecture: the inner courtyard with its entrance gate, the medieval dwelling with its half-timbered stair tower, and then the 19th-century outbuildings that extend it to the north. The ensemble, which has been partially listed as a Historic Monument since 1995, conjures up a rare atmosphere, suspended between Gothic austerity and Impressionist gentleness. Enthusiasts of painting, art history and Breton rural heritage will find plenty of food for thought here.
Architecture
The silhouette of Lezaven manor house is typical of Breton manor house architecture of the late Middle Ages: two wings set at right-angles form a re-entrant angle that delimits an inner courtyard enclosed by an access gate. The half-arch staircase tower, a structuring and symbolic element of this type of building, is built into the junction of the two wings and provides vertical access to the different levels. Its semi-circular cross-section and discreet crown are reminiscent of similar towers found in manor houses in Cornouaille and Léon, bearing witness to mastery of local craftsmanship. The materials used are those of the Finistère building tradition: bluish or grey granite from local quarries for the load-bearing walls, with carefully carved opening surrounds that reveal the care taken with prestigious features. The 17th-century alterations introduced some classicist modelling on certain windows, without disrupting the overall harmony. The steeply pitched roof, in accordance with Breton custom, crowns the building with an austere, robust silhouette. The painter's studio, built around 1865, stands out clearly from the medieval dwelling because of its clear functionality: large bay windows, oriented to catch the north light that artists like, pierce the façade, which has been stripped of all superfluous ornamentation. Paradoxically, this utilitarian appendage is the manor's most historic feature, since it was within its sober walls that a major page in the history of Western art was written.
Related Figures
Robert Wylie — peintre américain, animateur de l'école américaine de Pont-Aven, figure centrale de l'atelier de LezavenPaul Gauguin — peintre postimpressionniste, effectua deux séjours à Lezaven lors de ses passages à Pont-AvenÉmile Bernard — peintre fréquentant la colonie de Pont-Aven, proche de Gauguin dans l'élaboration du synthétismeMarie-Jeanne Gloanec — hôtelière de Pont-Aven, figure de la vie artistique locale qui gravitait autour de LezavenLes seigneurs de Lezaven — famille noble bretonne, commanditaires du logis médiéval du XVe siècle
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Manoir de Lezaven located?
Manoir de Lezaven is located in Pont-Aven, Département 29 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Manoir de Lezaven built?
Manoir de Lezaven dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Manoir de Lezaven open to visitors?
Manoir de Lezaven is currently closed to visitors.