Maison dite d'Auguste Pavie
MonumentHidden Treasure
Maison dite d'Auguste Pavie, located in Dinan (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
- Dinan, Département 22, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.4533, -2.0420
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00089136
Au cœur de Dinan médiévale, cette maison à pans de bois du XVe siècle fut le berceau d'Auguste Pavie, explorateur légendaire de l'Indochine. Un joyau de l'architecture bretonne inscrit aux Monuments Historiques.
History
Nestling in the labyrinth of cobbled streets for which Dinan is famous, the house known as Auguste Pavie is one of the most eloquent examples of 15th-century Breton civil architecture. Its half-timbered silhouette, characteristic of the middle-class residences of the Côtes-d'Armoraines town, is in harmony with an unspoilt urban environment where the Middle Ages never quite seem to have retreated. What makes this building unique is the dual heritage it embodies: that of stone and wood carved by Breton medieval craftsmen, and that of a man, Auguste Pavie, whose Indochinese adventure was to transform the map of the world. The fact that the future "peacemaker of Laos" grew up within these walls lends the house a romantic dimension that goes far beyond mere architectural interest. The experience of visiting the house begins long before you cross the threshold. The façade, with its characteristic corbels and oak beams blackened by the centuries, is a lesson in spontaneous architecture. The proportions of the mullioned windows, the sculpted eaves and the asymmetrical layout of the storeys reflect the pragmatic yet aesthetically accomplished constructive logic of the carpenters from Dinan. The surrounding setting amplifies the emotion. Dinan, one of Brittany's best-preserved medieval towns, envelops the house in a coherent urban fabric: 14th-century ramparts, Saint-Sauveur basilica, old covered market (halles), rue de la Lainerie and rue de la Poissonnerie. To visit Auguste Pavie's house is to travel through five centuries of history without ever breaking its charm.
Architecture
Auguste Pavie's house is a representative example of late medieval timber-framed civil architecture in inland Brittany. Built using the half-timbering technique, it features a solid oak frame with horizontal, vertical and diagonal beams that define a structural grid filled in with cob or brick walling. The storeys are slightly corbelled one on top of the other, as was common practice in the 15th century, giving the façade the rising rhythm so characteristic of medieval Breton and Norman streets. The façade reveals particular care in the workmanship of the exposed timbers: the runners, the horizontal pieces that crown each storey, are often decorated in slight relief with stylised geometric or plant motifs typical of late Gothic craftsmanship. The stone mullioned windows, probably redesigned in the late 15th or early 16th century, balance the verticality of the half-timbering with their horizontal divisions. The steeply pitched roof, covered in Breton slate, meets the climatic requirements of a region with abundant rainfall. The interior layout, although difficult to reproduce precisely, corresponds to the usual layout of a medieval bourgeois house: the ground floor is probably given over to commercial or craft activities, with the upper floors reserved for living quarters, with a main room opening onto the street and more intimate spaces to the rear. Despite the inevitable alterations that followed in later centuries, the building as a whole retains its medieval legibility and remains a first-rate architectural document for understanding the ancient town.
Related Figures
Auguste Pavie (1847-1925) — explorateur, diplomate et géographe breton, explorateur de l'Indochine et artisan du protectorat français sur le LaosLes charpentiers dinannais du XVe siècle — artisans anonymes responsables de la construction et du remarquable travail de colombageBertrand du Guesclin (1320-1380) — connétable de France dont les campagnes militaires transformèrent Dinan et son tissu urbain, contexte dans lequel s'inscrit la genèse de la maisonFamille Pavie — bourgeoisie dinannaise du XIXe siècle qui a donné son nom à la demeureLes inspecteurs des Monuments Historiques — responsables de la reconnaissance patrimoniale officielle par l'arrêté du 4 décembre 1961
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Maison dite d'Auguste Pavie located?
Maison dite d'Auguste Pavie is located in Dinan, Département 22 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Maison dite d'Auguste Pavie built?
Maison dite d'Auguste Pavie dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Maison dite d'Auguste Pavie open to visitors?
Maison dite d'Auguste Pavie is currently closed to visitors.
