Maison de la Lanterne
MonumentHidden Treasure
Maison de la Lanterne, located in Combourg (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
- Combourg, Département 35, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.4090, -1.7514
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00090537
The Maison de la Lanterne is a Renaissance gem in Combourg, with its circular turret standing on the site of a former fortified residence where the legendary Du Guesclin stayed. A piece of Breton history in stone.
History
In the heart of Combourg, a town made famous by the memory of Chateaubriand and the tutelary shadow of its medieval castle, stands the discreet Maison de la Lanterne. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1966, this 16th-century residence alone embodies several centuries of Breton history, from the medieval cavalcades of Du Guesclin to the nightly rounds of the soldiers of the watch responsible for lighting the town. What makes the Maison de la Lanterne truly unique is the overlapping of its functions over time: fortified noble residence, then Renaissance bourgeois house, then urban lookout post. Each era has left its mark, and the Renaissance façade with its circular turret bears witness to a remarkable architectural transition between the medieval world and the new aesthetic aspirations of the late 16th century. The building is seductive in its sobriety. With its ground floor, first floor and attic, it is modest but elegant, typical of quality Breton town houses of the period. The circular turret, as much a decorative element as a functional one, adds a verticality that enlivens the façade and recalls the architectural ambitions of the French Renaissance as it gradually penetrated the provinces. To visit the Maison de la Lanterne is to walk down a street in Combourg steeped in memory, where you can still feel the atmosphere of a Breton town under the Ancien Régime. Its proximity to the Château de Combourg, Chateaubriand's childhood home, makes it a natural stop on a rich and coherent heritage tour, ideal for anyone wishing to understand the deep soul of this Ille-et-Vilaine town.
Architecture
The Maison de la Lanterne features Breton civil architecture from the late 16th century, in which the Renaissance influence is discreetly and elegantly apparent. The building has three levels: a ground floor, a first floor and an attic, a typical layout for provincial bourgeois houses of the period, which combine domestic functionality with social representation. The most striking feature of the composition is undoubtedly the circular turret on the main facade. A formal legacy of medieval architecture reinterpreted in the light of Renaissance aesthetics, this turret gives the building a recognisable silhouette and a certain verticality. It probably housed a spiral staircase serving the different levels, a common feature of quality domestic architecture of the period. The facade as a whole bears witness to a meticulous composition in which the openings are worked according to the ornamental principles of the French Renaissance. The materials used are those traditionally used in the Combourg basin: probably local granite and schist, ashlar for the window surrounds and decorative elements, ensuring the durability of the whole. Originally, the first floor comprised a single, vast room, reflecting a noble residential use, before subsequent transformations linked to its function as a lookout post perhaps altered the interior layout.
Related Figures
Bertrand Du Guesclin — connétable de France, séjourna dans la maison fortifiée précédente au XIVe siècleTiphaine de Raguenel — épouse de Du Guesclin, réputée érudite et astrologue, accompagna son mari lors de ce séjour combourgeoisConstructeur anonyme (1575) — commanditaire bourgeois ou notable local ayant fait ériger la demeure Renaissance actuelle
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Maison de la Lanterne located?
Maison de la Lanterne is located in Combourg, Département 35 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Maison de la Lanterne built?
Maison de la Lanterne dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Maison de la Lanterne open to visitors?
Maison de la Lanterne is currently closed to visitors.