Maison de bois
MonumentHidden Treasure
Maison de bois, located in La Roche-Derrien (Département 22), 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
- La Roche-Derrien, Département 22, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.7459, -3.2614
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00089569
A jewel of Breton timber-framed architecture, this 16th-century house in La Roche-Derrien fascinates visitors with its two corbelled storeys and remarkable gadrooned eaves.
History
In the heart of La Roche-Derrien, a medieval village nestling in the meanders of the Jaudy, stands one of the most beautiful half-timbered houses in Brittany. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1926, this 16th-century residence alone embodies the art of wooden construction that characterised the prosperous towns of the Trégor region during the Renaissance. Its daring silhouette, with its two storeys gradually rising up from the street in a superimposed corbelled construction, is an unmistakable eye-catcher and illustrates the construction genius of the period. What sets this house apart from its Breton counterparts is the sophistication of its ornamentation. The eaves of the second-floor floor - the horizontal piece of wood that crowns the façade - is carefully moulded and punctuated with gadroons, the flutes in the shape of olives or swollen eggs that are characteristic of Renaissance decorative repertoire. Such attention to detail in the carving of a bourgeois house testifies to the prosperity of its patron and the quality of the craftsmen of the time. The façade has had an eventful history: for a long time, it was hidden under a slate cladding which, ironically, protected it from the Atlantic weather while masking its beauty. The timber-framed structure has now been restored to its original splendour. This return to its roots has revealed the rhythmic pattern of the posts, stiles and armpits that make up the framework of the façade, a veritable lace of oak stretching between sky and street. Visiting this house is like walking through the narrow streets of La Roche-Derrien with fresh eyes. The town, which in the 14th century was the scene of a decisive battle in the War of the Breton Succession, has preserved a medieval and Renaissance urban fabric that is rare in the region. The wooden house is a centrepiece of this heritage, a permanent dialogue between the artisan past and the living Brittany of today.
Architecture
The wooden house at La Roche-Derrien is a paradigmatic example of 16th-century timber-frame civil architecture as practised in the market towns of the Trégor region. Its construction is based on a framework of oak timbers assembled using mortise and tenon joints, forming regular bays that are stiffened by braces and girts at the junction of the posts and runners. The compartments were traditionally filled with cob or light masonry. The most spectacular element of the composition is the system of two superimposed corbels: each storey overhangs the lower storey thanks to floor joists extended as brackets, creating a slightly inverted pyramidal façade that accentuates the impression of height and movement. While this system saved valuable floor space in towns with narrow plots, it also required consummate technical skill to ensure the balance and solidity of the whole. The main ornament is the eaves of the second floor, a horizontal piece of wood running the full width of the façade and carved with a frieze of gadroons - a Renaissance decorative motif consisting of a series of ovoid or spindle-shaped shapes in relief, originally from Italy but widespread in France from the mid-16th century onwards. Mouldings frame this frieze, emphasising the dividing line between the levels and giving the façade an architectural dignity that goes beyond its simple utilitarian function.
Related Figures
Artisans charpentiers trégorois du XVIe siècle (bâtisseurs anonymes de la maison)Commanditaire bourgeois inconnu (marchand ou artisan enrichi du Trégor, probable commanditaire de la demeure vers 1520-1560)Charles de Blois (figure historique de La Roche-Derrien, capturé lors de la bataille de 1347 à proximité)Thomas Dagworth (vainqueur anglais de la bataille de La Roche-Derrien en 1347, figure liée à l'histoire du bourg)Inspecteurs des Monuments Historiques (responsables de l'inscription de 1926 et de la sauvegarde du bâti)
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Maison de bois located?
Maison de bois is located in La Roche-Derrien, Département 22 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Maison de bois built?
Maison de bois dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Maison de bois open to visitors?
Maison de bois is currently closed to visitors.
