Maison à pans de bois
MonumentHidden Treasure
Maison à pans de bois, located in Josselin (Département 56), 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
- Josselin, Département 56, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.9533, -2.5473
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00091324
In the heart of Josselin, this timber-framed house dating from the turn of the 16th century boasts a corbelled façade of rare elegance, where moulded sablières and sculpted half-timbering bear witness to Breton craftsmanship at its best.
History
In the cobbled streets of Josselin, a medieval town in Morbihan dominated by the imposing Château des Rohan, the timber-framed house stands as a precious testimony to Breton civil architecture at the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries. Its sloping silhouette towards the street, characteristic of corbelling, gives it the leaning appearance so typical of well-preserved medieval towns, where each storey was slightly higher than the previous one to gain more living space without encroaching on the ground. What immediately sets this residence apart is the quality of its joinery: the beams forming the brackets support the projecting floors with a regularity and precision that betray the hand of master carpenters. The runners - the long horizontal pieces of wood connecting the half-timbering - are carefully moulded, decorated with profiles reminiscent of the sculpted decorations found in contemporary middle-class homes in the Loire and Normandy regions. Here, the framework is not just structure: it is ornament. To visit this house is to immerse yourself in the intimacy of a trading and pilgrimage town on the threshold of the Renaissance. Josselin, a stopover on the road to Santiago de Compostela, attracted merchants, craftsmen and travellers, and its half-timbered houses reflect the prosperity of a local bourgeoisie eager to show off its rank. The street in which it stands offers a remarkably coherent architectural perspective, ideal for photography and strolling. The setting is ideal for those wishing to combine a cultural visit with the discovery of an authentic market town: just a stone's throw away are the Château des Rohan and its famous collection of dolls, the collegiate church of Notre-Dame du Roncier and its medieval alleyways. The timber-framed house fits into this heritage ensemble as an intimate, human fragment, at human height, set against the monumental grandeur of its illustrious neighbours.
Architecture
The timber-framed house at Josselin adopts a construction scheme typical of Breton urban domestic architecture in the late Middle Ages. The main body rises to two storeys and an attic, in a vertical layout that maximises living space on a limited footprint, a constraint typical of medieval urban plots. The facade facing the street is the building's true architectural landmark: built using the corbelled principle, each wooden storey overhangs the lower one thanks to projecting beams forming brackets. These brackets, carved from solid oak, perform both the structural function of supporting the floors and an important decorative role. Between them run the runners - the horizontal centrepieces of the timber panelling - which here are carefully moulded, decorated with cavet or quarter-round profiles, demonstrating a concern for elegance that goes beyond mere utility. Vertical half-timbering and sloping eaves complete the framework, whose voids were originally filled with cob or brick, depending on the local resources available. The roof, with its steep slope as befits the Breton climate, would have been covered in slate, the preferred material in Morbihan. The openings in the facade - windows with stone or wooden mullions, possibly braced or with straight lintels depending on the fashion of the day - punctuate the vertical rhythm of the composition. Taken together, these features give the house a robust yet refined appearance, typical of Breton middle-class houses that combine economy of means with attention to ornamental detail.
Related Figures
Artisans charpentiers anonymes de Josselin (fin XVe-début XVIe siècle), bâtisseurs présumés de la demeureMaîtres d'ouvrage bourgeois josselinnais (vers 1480-1520), commanditaires probables issus du négoce ou des offices seigneuriauxJean II de Rohan (1452-1516), seigneur de Josselin dont la prospérité rejaillit sur le bourg et favorise l'essor de l'architecture civile localeMembres des Sociétés archéologiques du Morbihan (XIXe siècle), érudits ayant contribué à faire reconnaître la valeur patrimoniale de la maisonAndré Malraux (1901-1976), ministre des Affaires culturelles sous l'ère de la loi de 1962, dans le contexte duquel l'inscription MH de 1963 fut prononcée
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Maison à pans de bois located?
Maison à pans de bois is located in Josselin, Département 56 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Maison à pans de bois built?
Maison à pans de bois dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Maison à pans de bois open to visitors?
Maison à pans de bois is currently closed to visitors.