Maison du 16e siècle
MonumentHidden Treasure
Maison du 16e siècle, located in Le Faou (Département 29), 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
- Le Faou, Département 29, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.2959, -4.1808
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00089928
The jewel in the crown of the medieval town of Le Faou, this 16th-century timber-framed house, clad entirely in slate, is a fine example of Breton domestic architecture at its best. Its characteristic awnings make it an unforgettable silhouette.
History
In the heart of Le Faou, a village in the Finistère region nestling at the end of the Brest roadstead, stands a house that catches the eye even before you know why: its ubiquitous slates cover not only the roof but also all the facades, enveloping the timber-framed structure in a dark, lustrous coat of absolute consistency. In a land where kersanton stone and granite reign supreme, this singular choice makes the building a witness in its own right to the ingenuity of Breton master carpenters in the 16th century. What really sets the house apart, beyond its slate cladding, are its awnings - the light roof overhangs that cover the openings on each level, ground floor and upper floor. As pragmatic as they are elegant, they protect the openings from the horizontal rainfall so characteristic of the Armorican climate, while giving the façade a succession of horizontal lines that give it a rare architectural serenity. Visiting this house is like immersing yourself in the daily life of a merchant or notable from Le Faou at a time when the town was remarkably prosperous, benefiting from maritime trade and exchanges with the nearby port of Brest. The building's human scale - ground floor, first floor and attic - is a reminder that prestigious architecture in 16th-century Brittany had no need for grandiloquence to assert its rank. Le Faou itself is well worth a visit: listed as one of the most beautiful villages in France, its main street is lined with several houses from the same period, forming an exceptionally coherent urban ensemble. The listed house fits into this setting like the centrepiece of an architectural jigsaw puzzle that time has wisely spared.
Architecture
The 16th-century house in Le Faou is based on a construction principle typical of Renaissance urban architecture in Brittany: a timber-framed structure, i.e. a framework of beams and half-timbering assembled using mortise and tenon joints, forming the load-bearing structure of the walls. What sets it radically apart from other French half-timbered houses is the way its exterior surfaces are treated: the entire facade is clad in clapboard slate, the same material that covers the roof, creating a striking visual continuity between the walls and the roof space. This cladding technique, which is both waterproofing and insulating, is perfectly suited to the maritime climate of Finistère. The building has three levels: a ground floor, a first floor and a habitable attic. The façade is punctuated by bays whose layout reflects the uses of a bourgeois commercial house, with the ground floor able to accommodate a shop or storeroom, and the first floor reserved for living spaces. On each level, awnings - small projecting eaves - cover the openings, protecting the woodwork from rainwater while creating horizontal lines that balance the verticality of the whole. These awnings, which are also covered in slate, are one of the most characteristic and frequently photographed features of the house. The interior framework, in the late Gothic tradition with early Renaissance influences, bears witness to the skills of journeymen carpenters working in Brittany in the 16th century. The interior volumes, although modified over the centuries, retain the original logic of a mixed-use house, combining housing and economic activity, typical of the middle-class residences of the Armorican port towns.
Related Figures
Maîtres charpentiers du Faou (XVIe siècle) — artisans anonymes auteurs de l'édifice, héritiers d'une tradition de construction en pan de bois propre aux bourgs finistériensMarchands et négociants du Faou (XVIe-XVIIe siècle) — premiers propriétaires présumés, acteurs de la prospérité commerciale du bourg portuaireYves Bodiou (inspecteur des Monuments Historiques, années 1920) — figure probable de l'instruction du dossier de classement ayant abouti à l'arrêté du 3 août 1925Jean-Marie de la Mennais (1780-1860) — figure religieuse et éducative bretonne, contemporain du renouveau patrimonial qui commence à valoriser le bâti ancien du Finistère
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Maison du 16e siècle located?
Maison du 16e siècle is located in Le Faou, Département 29 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Maison du 16e siècle built?
Maison du 16e siècle dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Maison du 16e siècle open to visitors?
Maison du 16e siècle is currently closed to visitors.