Maison du 17e siècle
MonumentHidden Treasure
Maison du 17e siècle, located in Plouaret (Département 22), 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
- Plouaret, Département 22, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.6114, -3.4729
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00089455
A discreet jewel of 17th-century Brittany in Plouaret, this house with its sculpted pilasters, pediments and dormer windows was the birthplace of poet and folklorist François-Marie Luzel, the soul of traditional Brittany.
History
In the heart of Plouaret, a village in the Côtes-d'Armor department nestling in the inland Trégor region, stands a house that elegantly embodies the architectural vitality of Brittany during the Grand Siècle. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1926, this 17th-century residence stands out for the quality of its sculpted decoration, a rarity in a rural setting where grey stone usually dictates sober rigour. Here, the anonymous architect has opted for ornament: pilasters flanking the entrance door, pediments crowning dormers and bays, chimney stacks carved from local granite - all signatures of a bourgeois or merchant prosperity typical of the Armorican 17th century. What makes this house truly unique is its dual status as an architectural monument and a place of literary memory. It is recognised as the birthplace of François-Marie Luzel, one of the greatest collectors of Breton folk tales and poems of the 19th century. To visit these walls is to enter simultaneously into two histories - that of stone and that of words. The experience of visiting, intimate by definition in this type of private building and modest in facade, invites you to contemplate the details: observe the entrance pilasters, note the finesse of the broken or triangular dormer pediments, let your gaze run over the chimney stacks whose geometry betrays a demanding craftsmanship. The house can be seen in all its glory from the street, a façade open to the daily life of the village. The setting of Plouaret adds to the interest of the visit. This commune in the Trégor region, crossed by the Paris-Brest railway line and surrounded by hedged farmland, retains an authentic character far from the crowded tourist circuits of the coast. If you're looking for a Brittany that's inland, deep-rooted and literary, Maison Luzel is a must.
Architecture
This 17th-century house in Plouaret illustrates the meeting of French classicism from Paris and the building traditions of the Trégor region, where local granite imposes its constraints and nobility. The facade, sober in its overall volume, stands out for the quality of its ornamental programme: the entrance door is framed by pilasters - flat columns set into the wall, inherited from Antiquity via the Renaissance - topped by a pediment that gives the entrance a slightly theatrical solemnity, unusual for a Breton village residence. The dormer windows, built into the roof to light the attic space, are also crowned with pediments, either triangular or broken in the classical tradition. This treatment of the roof openings reveals a strong desire for decorative coherence, and undoubtedly the hand of a stonemason trained in the rules of classical order. The granite chimney stacks, mentioned in the Mérimée note, contribute to the picturesque silhouette of the building, their geometric alignment standing out against the Trégor sky. The materials used are those of the region: granite, which is ubiquitous in northern Brittany, is used in medium thickness for the walls, and more finely worked for the sculpted elements. The roof was traditionally covered in slate, a material emblematic of Breton architecture, extracted from quarries in Orléans and the Châteaulin area. The ensemble forms a medium-sized residence, with one or two square storeys, representative of the bourgeois architecture of Trégor in the Grand Siècle.
Related Figures
François-Marie Luzel (1821-1895) — poète, folkloriste et collecteur de traditions populaires bretonnes, né dans cette maisonErnest Renan (1823-1892) — philosophe et écrivain, ami et correspondant de Luzel, figure majeure de la même génération bretonneLe commanditaire anonyme du XVIIe siècle — bourgeois ou officier local ayant fait ériger la demeure avec son décor sculptéLa famille Luzel — cultivateurs aisés du Trégor dont l'enracinement breton nourrit la vocation du folkloriste
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Maison du 17e siècle located?
Maison du 17e siècle is located in Plouaret, Département 22 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.