Maison du 17e siècle
MonumentHidden Treasure
Maison du 17e siècle, located in Ploërmel (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
- Ploërmel, Département 56, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.9325, -2.3994
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00091511
In the heart of Ploërmel, this elegant 17th-century house boasts an exceptional classical façade: stacked pilasters, a circular pediment with shells and a floating ribbon escutcheon, a discreet jewel of Breton heritage.
History
Nestling in the urban fabric of Ploërmel, the historic capital of the Porhoët region in Morbihan, this 17th-century house is one of the few surviving examples of classical domestic architecture in Brittany. Far from the rustic sobriety often associated with the region, it displays a remarkable architectural ambition, supported by a carefully ordered ashlar facade that reflects the great currents of French classicism. What immediately sets the building apart is the sophistication of its elevation: three levels - ground floor, two upper floors and attic - punctuated by superimposed pilasters framing the window bays with academic rigour. The central entrance door is crowned by a circular pediment, the tympanum of which features scallops, a decorative and symbolic motif that reflects the period's taste for meaningful ornamentation. The central dormer, linked to the two side pediments, completes the composition and gives it a rare visual unity. For the architecture enthusiast, the façade is a veritable treatise on stone: every detail - the frieze adorned with a crest of ribbons, the pilasters with capitals, the alternating horizontal registers - reveals the hand of a master builder with a perfect mastery of the classical vocabulary inherited from Vignole and Serlio, as it spread throughout the French provinces during the Grand Siècle. Visiting this house also means immersing yourself in Ploërmel itself, a medieval town with many layers of history, where the church of Saint-Armel and the remains of the presence of the Dukes of Brittany make up a coherent heritage itinerary. The house, listed as a Historic Monument since 1925, is part of a discovery trail of 16th and 17th century Breton civil architecture, all too often overshadowed by religious or military architecture.
Architecture
The façade of this Ploërmel house has three clearly hierarchical levels: a ground floor with a central entrance door, two upper floors punctuated by window bays, and an attic lit by a central dormer window. The whole structure is built in ashlar, a material that gives the composition a plastic unity and solidity characteristic of 17th-century French provincial classicism. Symmetry is rigorously respected, with each side of the central axis featuring a bay of windows framed by superimposed pilasters - a layout inherited directly from the Roman palace via the treatises of Vignole and Serlio. Most of the rich ornamentation is concentrated in the decor. The entrance door is surmounted by a circular pediment, the tympanum of which is sculpted with scallops, a Baroque motif with a composite symbolism - spiritual, decorative and emblematic. The frieze running between the storeys features a coat of arms with ribbons, a heraldic element that places the building in a specific family or corporate history. The central dormer in the attic is visually linked to the two side pediments by an interplay of horizontal lines and mouldings, creating a unity of composition from bottom to top. This façade bears witness to an advanced architectural culture for a medium-sized town like Ploërmel, and is stylistically similar to the private mansions built in Brittany's major towns - Rennes, Vannes and Quimper - during the same period. It is a perfect illustration of the phenomenon of the spread of Parisian and Italian models to the provinces, adapted here with Breton sobriety that does not exclude the search for ornament.
Related Figures
Commanditaire anonyme du XVIIe siècle (bourgeois ou officier royal ploërmelais)Maître maçon ou maître d'œuvre breton du XVIIe siècle (non identifié)Famille noble ou bourgeoise du Porhoët (propriétaires probables, non identifiés à ce jour)Inspecteurs des Monuments Historiques (ayant instruit l'inscription en 1925)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Maison du 17e siècle located?
Maison du 17e siècle is located in Ploërmel, Département 56 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Maison du 17e siècle built?
Maison du 17e siècle dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Maison du 17e siècle open to visitors?
Maison du 17e siècle is currently closed to visitors.