Lycée La Tour d'Auvergne
MonumentHidden Treasure
Lycée La Tour d'Auvergne, located in Quimper (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
- Quimper, Département 29, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.9978, -4.1030
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00090332
The jewel in Quimper's Jesuit crown, the chapel of the Lycée La Tour d'Auvergne features elegant Baroque architecture combining Breton granite and white limestone, designed by Father Martellange after a Parisian model that no longer exists.
History
In the heart of Quimper, hidden behind the discreet façade of a secondary school, the chapel of the Collège La Tour d'Auvergne is one of the most remarkable examples of Jesuit architecture in Brittany. Built in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries to plans drawn up by Father Étienne Martellange, architect for the Society of Jesus, its spatial and decorative sophistication is hardly noticeable from the street. What makes this monument truly unique is the subtle dialogue between two materials: dark, robust granite from the Breton region forms the foundations and walls right up to the large arches, while white limestone, more malleable and suitable for sculpture, takes over for the decorative elements. This chromatic contrast gives the interior a special light, both serious and luminous, typical of Counter-Reformation buildings. The experience of visiting the chapel is surprising in more ways than one. Crossing the threshold of this chapel, set in a working school, means slipping seamlessly from the din of teenage corridors into an architectural silence steeped in history. The dome of the crossing, the Doric pilasters and the barrel vaults create a space that invites contemplation as much as scholarly analysis. The Quimper setting adds an extra dimension to the visit. The town, the historic capital of Brittany's Cornouaille region, boasts Saint-Corentin cathedral and a remarkably well-preserved old town centre. The chapel is part of a coherent heritage trail that spans ten centuries of architecture in Finistère. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1932, it remains a living space, part of the daily life of the school, giving it an authenticity that is rare among listed buildings in the region.
Architecture
The chapel has a precisely articulated Latin cross plan: a nave of two bays flanked by aisles precedes a transept with cross-bars, itself extended by a choir with a straight section framed by side aisles and ending in a cul-de-four apse. This architectural style, inherited from the Roman and Parisian Jesuit models, combines the geometric rigour and spatial dynamics characteristic of Ignatian spirituality. The roof structure reveals remarkable technical care. The nave is barrel-vaulted with cylindrical penetrations that pierce the main barrel vault at each bay, creating a rhythmic and controlled effect of light. At the crossing of the transept, a spherical dome is the most spectacular feature of the building: supported by the transverse cradles, it creates a vertical vanishing point that gives the space its mystical breadth. The interior decoration features a rigorous Doric programme: fluted pilasters, entablatures with triglyphs and metopes punctuate the elevations with skilful restraint. The exterior is no slouch: the façade superimposes the Doric and Ionic orders in a play of pilasters and cornices that betray Martellange's good knowledge of classical architecture treatises. The alternation of granite and limestone, visible from the street, gives the building its uniquely Breton character, while linking it to the great French and European architectural tradition of the Counter-Reformation.
Related Figures
Père Étienne Martellange (1569-1641) — architecte de la Compagnie de Jésus, concepteur des plans de la chapelleIgnace de Loyola (1491-1556) — fondateur de la Compagnie de Jésus, dont la pédagogie et l'esthétique inspirent l'ensemble du programmeThéophile Malo Corret de la Tour d'Auvergne (1743-1800) — héros breton dont le nom est donné au lycéeLouis XV (1710-1774) — roi sous le règne duquel les jésuites sont expulsés de France en 1764Napoléon Bonaparte (1769-1821) — qui nomme La Tour d'Auvergne « premier grenadier de France »
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Lycée La Tour d'Auvergne located?
Lycée La Tour d'Auvergne is located in Quimper, Département 29 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Lycée La Tour d'Auvergne built?
Lycée La Tour d'Auvergne dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Lycée La Tour d'Auvergne open to visitors?
Lycée La Tour d'Auvergne is currently closed to visitors.
