Maison du 16e siècle, sur l'Elorn
MonumentHidden Treasure
Maison du 16e siècle, sur l'Elorn, located in Landerneau (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
- Landerneau, Département 29, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00090035
A silent witness to the Renaissance period in Brittany, this 16th-century house overlooks the Elorn River in Landerneau, with its carved gables and kersanton façade typical of the civil architecture of the city of merchants.
History
Landerneau, a gateway town on the Elorn estuary, has an architectural soul that is rare in Brittany: that of a prosperous merchant town whose stone houses still speak eloquently of the wealth of the 16th and 17th centuries. Among these testimonies, the 16th-century house on the river Elorn occupies a singular place, curled up on the banks of the river as if to watch over the flow of ships and goods that once made the town's fortune. What makes this residence truly distinctive is its position above the water, an architectural tradition typical of Breton trading towns where houses stood boldly on the banks, sometimes with ground-floor warehouses directly accessible from the boats. The facade, facing the waterway, offers a striking view of the Elorn and, together with the other riverside buildings, forms an urban picture of rare coherence for a town of this size. The experience of visiting here is first and foremost that of a sensitive stroll along the quays, looking up at the mullioned windows, letting your eyes glide over the sculpted modillions and carefully carved stone frames. The house is part of a heritage trail that includes the famous Pont de Rohan, one of the few remaining inhabited bridges in France, just a stone's throw away. The setting adds to the enchantment: the Elorn, a tidal river, changes its face with the passing hours. At high tide, the river shimmers beneath the façade; at low tide, the banks reveal their muddy secrets. This duality between stone and water, between the unchanging and the changing, is the very essence of Landerneau's atmosphere.
Architecture
This 16th-century house on the river Elorn has all the typical features of Breton Renaissance civil architecture: a structure of carefully coursed local granite, with occasional additions of kersanton - a soft black stone quarried in the Brest harbour and prized by Breton sculptors for its fine grain. The façades probably feature stone mullioned windows, framed by prismatic or cavet mouldings, a signature of the regional decorative vocabulary of the period. The corners are finished with projecting ashlar chains, ensuring both structural solidity and aesthetic rigour. The building's location on the banks of the River Elorn gives it a distinctive configuration: the ground floor, which is partially buried or level with the quay, could be used as a warehouse or cellar, while the upper floors, which are better lit, were used for living and performance spaces. The roof, steeply pitched as is customary in Brittany to cope with the heavy rainfall, was covered with Trélazé slate or local slate, a material that has been used almost exclusively in the region since the Middle Ages. One or more gables overlooking the street, which may be crenellated or cross-gabled in keeping with the fashion of the time, punctuate the overall volume and indicate the status of the occupant to passers-by.
Related Figures
Les vicomtes de Rohan — seigneurs suzerains de Landerneau, dont l'influence sur l'urbanisation de la ville au XVIe siècle fut déterminanteLes marchands léonards du XVIe siècle — négociants en toile et en lin qui financèrent la reconstruction en pierre de LanderneauJean de Kerjean — type du notable finistérien Renaissance ayant commandité des demeures urbaines dans le LéonLes maîtres maçons bretons du XVIe siècle — artisans locaux maîtrisant la taille du granite et du kersanton, héritiers des bâtisseurs de la cathédrale de Quimper
Map
Coordinates not available for this monument.
Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Maison du 16e siècle, sur l'Elorn located?
Maison du 16e siècle, sur l'Elorn is located in Landerneau, Département 29 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Maison du 16e siècle, sur l'Elorn built?
Maison du 16e siècle, sur l'Elorn dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Maison du 16e siècle, sur l'Elorn open to visitors?
Maison du 16e siècle, sur l'Elorn is currently closed to visitors.