Maison du 16e siècle dite rendez-vous de chasse des Rohan
MonumentHidden Treasure
Maison du 16e siècle dite rendez-vous de chasse des Rohan, located in Pontivy (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
- Pontivy, Département 56, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.0681, -2.9649
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00091578
In the heart of Pontivy, this 16th-century Renaissance house stands out for its corbelled turret on a column and its facade adorned with sculpted pilasters - a stone jewel that is all too often overlooked.
History
Nestling on a square in Pontivy, just a stone's throw from the former Château des Rohan, this residence dating from the last quarter of the 16th century elegantly embodies the Breton Renaissance in all its discretion. Far from the ostentation of the great noble residences, it deploys a refined architectural vocabulary that only an attentive eye can fully appreciate: finely sculpted pilasters, elaborate brackets and a double crown above the entrance gate. The result is a facade that is remarkably coherent for a provincial town house. What immediately sets this building apart is its corbelled corner turret, resting not on an ordinary masonry abutment, but on a slender column - a rare and skilful device that testifies to a client keen to stand out and a master builder with a perfect command of the codes of Second Renaissance architecture. The superimposition of pilastered windows on brackets gives the façade an almost musical vertical rhythm. A visit to the exterior, which is freely accessible from the square, is all it takes to appreciate the building's decorative ambitions. Architecture buffs will find plenty to linger over, photographing the sculpted details that Breton stone has been able to preserve with beautiful integrity despite the centuries. Listed since 1930, this monument is protected to ensure the longevity of its ornamentation. The Pontivy setting adds to the charm of the visit: the immediate proximity of the Château des Rohan, with its medieval towers just a few metres away, creates a striking dialogue between two eras and two architectural sensibilities. The house, known as the "rendez-vous de chasse", is part of a dense heritage complex that makes this part of Pontivy one of the richest historical itineraries in central Brittany.
Architecture
The house has two storeys above the ground floor, organised according to a rigorous Renaissance logic. The façade facing the square is punctuated by an entrance door framed by pilasters and topped by a double crowning motif - probably a broken pediment or a bracketed entablature - giving the doorway a classical solemnity. On the two upper levels, the windows are treated with the same care: pilasters set on sculpted brackets create an orderly superimposed effect reminiscent of the facades of private mansions in the Loire or Poitou regions. The most spectacular and unusual feature of the building is undoubtedly its corbelled corner turret. Unlike the usual turrets, which rest on a cul-de-lampe or a simple stone corbel, this one rises above a column - a structurally audacious and aesthetically remarkable device that demonstrates a knowledge of architectural treatises and a clear desire for distinction. This treatment of the columned turret, rare in 16th-century Breton civil architecture, brings the residence closer to the formal research of the Italian Renaissance. The materials used are those of the Breton building tradition: the local granite, robust and close-grained, has enabled the decorative elements - pilasters, brackets, mouldings - to be cut with precision, preserving their remarkable legibility despite four centuries of exposure to the elements. The roof, probably made of Anjou or local slate according to regional custom, caps the whole with the sobriety customary of Breton civil architecture from this period.
Related Figures
Jean Roscouët — propriétaire attesté en 1578, commanditaire probable de la constructionFamille de Rohan — grands seigneurs de Pontivy, dont la présence tutélaire a durablement marqué la mémoire de l'édificeViscount Jean II de Rohan — seigneur de Pontivy à la fin du XVIe siècle, contemporain de la construction
Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Maison du 16e siècle dite rendez-vous de chasse des Rohan located?
Maison du 16e siècle dite rendez-vous de chasse des Rohan is located in Pontivy, Département 56 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Maison du 16e siècle dite rendez-vous de chasse des Rohan built?
Maison du 16e siècle dite rendez-vous de chasse des Rohan dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Maison du 16e siècle dite rendez-vous de chasse des Rohan open to visitors?
Maison du 16e siècle dite rendez-vous de chasse des Rohan is currently closed to visitors.