Maison dite du Canon
MonumentHidden Treasure
Maison dite du Canon, located in La Roche-Bernard (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
- La Roche-Bernard, Département 56, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.5186, -2.3029
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00091636
In the heart of La Roche-Bernard, this 1596 residence is a blend of late Gothic and Breton Renaissance. A cannon at its corner tells the story of the Cardinaux naval battle - one of Brittany's most unusual relics.
History
Tucked away in the medieval town of La Roche-Bernard, a small town full of character perched high above the Vilaine estuary, the Maison du Canon is one of those bourgeois residences whose façade encapsulates several centuries of local history. Built in 1596, it belongs to that pivotal moment in Breton architecture when Gothic forms - pointed arches, mullions, crosspieces - still coexisted with the first Renaissance inflections from the continent. This stylistic syncretism makes it an invaluable witness to the architectural transition at the end of the 16th century in the province. What radically distinguishes this house from its neighbours is the incongruous object that stands at its corner: a cannon, driven into the ground, used as a buffer to protect the corner of the building from carts and wheels. Far from being a fanciful ornament, this piece of artillery is a tangible reminder of an episode in the Seven Years' War - the French rout at the naval battle of Les Cardinaux in 1759. Maritime history and stone history come together here in a gripping anecdote that the façades reveal only to those who know how to look. Over the centuries, the building has served many purposes. Originally a middle-class residence, it temporarily became the seat of the La Roche-Bernard town hall in 1849, an administrative use that left its mark in the form of an elegant bell tower housing the municipal clock. This miniature bell tower, unlikely for a civilian house, still crowns the roof today and gives the building an instantly recognisable silhouette in the urban landscape. To visit the Maison du Canon is to stroll down one of the best-preserved alleyways in this privateer and merchant town, just a stone's throw from the port and panoramic views over the Vilaine. The building is best seen from the outside, in its relationship with the street, the scale of the town and the Breton light that shapes its granite rubble. A must for anyone exploring the heritage of southern Brittany.
Architecture
The Maison du Canon belongs to the Breton style of civil architecture of the late 16th century, characterised by the persistence of late Gothic forms - mullions and transoms on the windows - combined with the first Renaissance accents visible in the composition of the facades. Built in granite, a regional material par excellence, the house has a compact, squat mass, typical of the middle-class homes of the Vilaine estuary, designed to withstand both the Atlantic winters and the dampness of the river banks. The mullioned and cross-headed openings that once pierced the main facade have unfortunately disappeared, leaving only the transoms and lintels to bear witness to their former location. The most spectacular element of the composition is the bell tower that tops the roof: a nineteenth-century addition (circa 1849), it breaks with the sobriety of the whole by its assertive verticality and its quasi-religious character, unexpected on a civilian house. This lantern tower housed the municipal clock and is now the building's visual signature in the urban landscape of La Roche-Bernard. At the corner of the street, the cannon set vertically into the ground - a legacy of the crew of the Inflexible - has become an architectural feature in its own right, transforming a piece of naval artillery into a unique heritage landmark.
Related Figures
Comte de Conflans — amiral commandant la flotte française lors de la bataille des Cardinaux (1759), dont la défaite est à l'origine de l'histoire du canonAmiral Edward Hawke — commandant la flotte britannique victorieuse à la bataille des CardinauxOfficiers de l'Inflexible — commandant et officiers du vaisseau échoué dans la Vilaine, qui s'établirent dans la maison après le naufrageÉquipage de l'Inflexible — marins français qui débarquèrent et s'installèrent dans la région après l'échouage définitif du navire (1759)Municipalité de La Roche-Bernard (1849) — commanditaire du campanile et occupante des locaux transformés en mairie
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Maison dite du Canon located?
Maison dite du Canon is located in La Roche-Bernard, Département 56 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Maison dite du Canon built?
Maison dite du Canon dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Maison dite du Canon open to visitors?
Maison dite du Canon is currently closed to visitors.