Maison dite du Corsaire (ou maison Kerisit) , anciennement située sur l'actuelle place de l'Eglise
ManorHidden Treasure
Maison dite du Corsaire (ou maison Kerisit) , anciennement située sur l'actuelle place de l'Eglise, located in Plozévet (Département 29), is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- Manor
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- Plozévet, Département 29, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00090281
Vanished in 1965, this 18th-century manor house in Plozévet embodied the adventurous spirit of Brittany's privateers: square tower, attic floor and the memory of an officer racing off the Finistère coast.
History
The Corsair's house, also known as the Kerisit house, was one of those Breton bourgeois residences that carry with them all the flavour of a bygone era. Built in the 18th century on what is now the Place de l'Église in Plozévet, Finistère, it embodied the discreet yet assertive standing of a privateer officer who returned from the seas with fortune and prestige. Its neat silhouette, a blend of Breton sobriety and architectural ambition, bore witness to a success achieved at the peril of the waves. What made this manor truly singular was the coexistence between the harshness of the maritime world and the pursuit of bourgeois comfort on land. The square staircase tower to the north was a rare architectural signature in rural buildings in the Pays Bigouden, giving the building an almost seigneurial appearance, halfway between a manor house and a small country manor. The house was built on a strict rectangular plan, with a ground floor, a first floor and an attic storey topped by a slightly arched roof, typical of the French classical influences that penetrated Brittany during the Age of Enlightenment. The contained volumes and location in the heart of the village suggested a desire to integrate into community life, far from the isolation of the great noble residences. Unfortunately, the Corsair's house did not survive the major urban renewal campaigns of the 20th century. Demolished in 1965, it remains today only in the archives, a few scattered photographs and the collective memory of the people of Plozévet. Its disappearance remains emblematic of those decades when Brittany's rural heritage was often sacrificed in the name of modernisation, before people's consciences were awakened to the irreplaceable value of these stone witnesses. Visiting Plozévet today also means mourning the loss of this manor house, whose invisible footprint remains in the Place de l'Église. For lovers of maritime history and Breton architecture, it remains a powerful symbol of the life of the privateers who forged the identity of the Finistère coastline.
Architecture
The Corsair's house was typical of eighteenth-century Breton bourgeois architecture, influenced by French classical codes while retaining a sobriety that was unique to Finistère. Its rigorous, functional rectangular plan reflected a well-thought-out concept of domestic space, far removed from the ornamental fantasies of the big cities. The vertical layout - ground floor, first floor, attic - maximised the living space within a contained footprint, suited to a location in the heart of a village. The most remarkable feature of the building was undoubtedly the square staircase tower to the north. This architectural appendage, reminiscent of the seigneurial dwellings of previous centuries, endowed the residence with a dignity not possessed by the simple houses of contemporary notables. It signalled the owner's social pretension and his desire to be part of an older architectural tradition. The slightly mansard roof, elegantly capping the whole, introduced a French classical note that contrasted pleasantly with the compact mass of the building. The materials used were probably those of the region: Finistère granite for the load-bearing walls, local slate for the roof and oak for the interior joinery. These robust, durable materials were the standard for quality construction in Lower Brittany in the 18th century. The façade, facing the Place de l'Église, was to feature an orderly composition of small-wooded windows, framed by carved granite mouldings, giving the whole a sober, distinguished balance.
Related Figures
Officier corsaire Kerisit (propriétaire présumé, XVIIIe siècle)Famille Kerisit (propriétaires historiques du manoir)Architecte local inconnu (maître d'œuvre présumé, XVIIIe siècle)Corsaires bretons du XVIIIe siècle (contexte historique général)
Map
Coordinates not available for this monument.
Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Maison dite du Corsaire (ou maison Kerisit) , anciennement située sur l'actuelle place de l'Eglise located?
Maison dite du Corsaire (ou maison Kerisit) , anciennement située sur l'actuelle place de l'Eglise is located in Plozévet, Département 29 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Maison dite du Corsaire (ou maison Kerisit) , anciennement située sur l'actuelle place de l'Eglise built?
Maison dite du Corsaire (ou maison Kerisit) , anciennement située sur l'actuelle place de l'Eglise dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Maison dite du Corsaire (ou maison Kerisit) , anciennement située sur l'actuelle place de l'Eglise open to visitors?
Maison dite du Corsaire (ou maison Kerisit) , anciennement située sur l'actuelle place de l'Eglise is currently closed to visitors.