Logis de la Mettrie-aux-Houëts
MonumentHidden Treasure
Logis de la Mettrie-aux-Houëts, located in Saint-Coulomb (Département 35), 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
- Saint-Coulomb, Département 35, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.6686, -1.9297
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00125344
An exceptional Malouinière dating from the first quarter of the 18th century, La Mettrie-aux-Houëts features a monumental gate, French-style gardens and a chapel dating from 1725, all forming a complex of rare architectural integrity.
History
Nestling in the hinterland of Saint-Coulomb, just a stone's throw from the Emerald Coast, La Mettrie-aux-Houëts is one of the most beautiful Malouinières in the Malouine region. The term refers to the opulent residences that the shipowners and captains of Saint-Malo had built at the turn of the 18th century, away from the walled city, so that they could enjoy the air of the Breton countryside without sacrificing the refinement of their status. La Mettrie-aux-Houëts is a remarkably coherent example of this, preserving its original interior and exterior features almost intact. What makes this estate truly unique is the completeness of its architectural and landscaping features. The entrance, underlined by a monumental gate flanked by two circular dovecotes, is part of a skilful composition linking the chapel and dovecote in a single ordered gesture. In front of this threshold, a false avenue reinforces the axis of symmetry, giving the approach a classical solemnity. Few Malouinières have preserved all of these features with such fidelity. The rear façade offers another surprise: a raised terrace precedes formal gardens where a pool, a green carpet and a water mirror meet elegantly, framed by delicate corner follies. The combination of mineral and plant elements is mastered with the care characteristic of late Louis XIV taste, influenced by the regular layout of Le Nôtre without slavishly copying the grandeur of Versailles. Inside, the attentive visitor will be struck by the quality of the woodwork: strictly designed panelling, wide strip parquet flooring with a beautiful curvature gilded by time, discreet alcoves evoking the bourgeois lifestyle of the late Grand Siècle. The wooden baluster staircase, the centrepiece of the interior layout, bears witness to Breton craftsmanship of the highest order. Each space exudes a balance between sobriety and nobility, reflecting the mentality of these merchants who grew rich through distant trade.
Architecture
La Mettrie-aux-Houëts is a classic example of a ‘malouinière’: a main house built of local granite, simple and linear in design, topped by a steeply pitched roof characteristic of 18th-century Breton architecture. The layout is based on strict bilateral symmetry, with a central axis running through the entrance gate, the main courtyard and the main building, right through to the rear gardens. This organising principle, borrowed from classical French aesthetics, is adapted here to the scale of a rural estate without any pretensions to excess. The entrance to the estate is one of the most striking features of the complex: a monumental wrought-iron gate is set within a composition that brings together, on either side, two circular wolf-jumps — defensive as well as ornamental ditches — connecting, on one side, the private chapel and, on the other, the dovecote, a distinctive symbol of seigneurial status. The arcaded outbuildings enclosing the main courtyard contribute to this rigorous layout, lending the complex a rare stylistic unity. At the rear, the raised terrace overlooks the French-style gardens: a central pond, a green lawn, a reflecting pool and corner follies punctuate a geometrically organised garden space that harmonises perfectly with the austere granite of the main building. The interior reveals a high standard of decorative craftsmanship: the main staircase, with its turned wooden balusters, is the most spectacular piece of joinery, whilst the panelling with its clean lines and the wide-plank oak flooring adorn the reception rooms with a restrained elegance typical of the Regency style. A few alcoves – features characteristic of early 18th-century Breton domestic architecture – complete an interior décor of exquisite authenticity.
Related Figures
Armateur malouin commanditaire (identité non établie, premier quart XVIIIe siècle)Artisans maçons et charpentiers de la région de Saint-Malo (constructeurs du domaine, vers 1710-1725)Chapelain privé du domaine (desservant la chapelle fondée en 1725)Propriétaires successifs des XVIIIe et XIXe siècles (familles bourgeoises malouines)Inspecteurs des Monuments Historiques (instruction du dossier d'inscription, 1993)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Logis de la Mettrie-aux-Houëts located?
Logis de la Mettrie-aux-Houëts is located in Saint-Coulomb, Département 35 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Logis de la Mettrie-aux-Houëts built?
Logis de la Mettrie-aux-Houëts dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Logis de la Mettrie-aux-Houëts open to visitors?
Logis de la Mettrie-aux-Houëts is currently closed to visitors.