Maison et monument de Cadoudal
MonumentHidden Treasure
Maison et monument de Cadoudal, located in Auray (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
- Auray, Département 56, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.6616, -2.9939
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00091009
The birthplace of the "giant of the Chouannerie" in Auray, this double monument brings together the house where Georges Cadoudal was born and his domed neo-classical mausoleum - the final shrine to a royalist leader guillotined by Napoleon.
History
In the heart of Morbihan, in Auray, two closely linked buildings form a heritage complex of rare intensity: the birthplace of Georges Cadoudal, legendary leader of the Breton Chouannerie, and the circular mausoleum erected in his memory in 1830. You can't visit this place - you have to feel it. It epitomises the tragedy of the French counter-revolution, its fierce convictions, heroic defeats and romantic aftermath. The house where he was born, a sober and solid eighteenth-century building in the style of rural Brittany, conceals one of its best-kept secrets: a Chouans hideout set up between the first-floor floor and the ground-floor fireplace. This invisible hiding place, where Cadoudal himself might have holed up during his clandestine visits, brings to life years of armed resistance and life on the run. A few steps away, the commemorative monument stands out with unexpected majesty. Built on the ruins of a former monastery, raised on a mound of earth held back by a low wall, this mausoleum with its circular floor plan and lantern cupola is a neo-classical work of great formal coherence. The interior, enhanced by an 18th-century wooden altarpiece from the Gouberville chapel, exudes the atmosphere of a solemn, contemplative funeral chapel. The visitor experience oscillates between historical emotion and architectural contemplation. Whether you're an enthusiast of the French Revolution, the Vendée and Breton epics, or simply curious about an extraordinary destiny, you'll find plenty of food for thought here. The site, anchored in the Auray region, lends itself to a stopover on a wider itinerary that includes the nearby medieval town of Saint-Goustan. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1982 - after its first listing in 1948 - the site bears witness to the belated but definitive recognition accorded by the French Republic to one of its most formidable adversaries.
Architecture
The house where he was born is a typical 18th-century Breton building, sober in its volumes and materials, reflecting the rural architecture of Morbihan. Its discreet exterior contrasts with the uniqueness of its interior layout: between the floor of the first floor and the chimney flue on the ground floor, a hiding place was cleverly created, accessible only to those who knew its secret. This type of device, typical of Chouans' houses, bears witness to an ingenious architecture of resistance, the fruit of an era when survival depended on a few inches of wood and plaster. The commemorative monument, the work of sculptor Lussault in 1830, adopts a resolutely neo-classical vocabulary. Built on an artificial mound of earth and supported by a low circular wall, it immediately asserts its monumental presence. Its plan is perfectly circular, typical of the ancient-inspired mausoleums and funerary temples so popular in the architecture of the first half of the 19th century. The domed roof, topped by a skylight, diffuses soft zenithal light into the interior, creating an atmosphere of contemplation. The interior houses an 18th-century carved wooden altarpiece from the Gouberville chapel, installed on a base built in 1905. This liturgical element, removed from its original context, gives the mausoleum the character of a votive chapel. The combination of neo-classical architecture and late Baroque religious furnishings creates a singular stylistic dialogue, revealing the tensions between the Catholic faith, monarchism and the memorial culture of 19th-century Brittany.
Related Figures
Georges Cadoudal (1771-1804) — chef royaliste et chouannen, né dans la maison, guillotiné par ordre de NapoléonNapoléon Bonaparte — Premier Consul puis Empereur, commanditaire indirect de l'exécution de CadoudalLussault — sculpteur auteur du monument commémoratif, réalisé en 1830Charles X — roi sous le règne duquel fut lancée la souscription royaliste pour édifier le mausoléeLouis XVIII — monarque restauré dont la politique de réhabilitation des victimes royalistes prépara la mémoire de CadoudalLes princes de Bourbon en exil — commanditaires politiques du complot de 1803 auquel Cadoudal participa activement
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Maison et monument de Cadoudal located?
Maison et monument de Cadoudal is located in Auray, Département 56 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Maison et monument de Cadoudal built?
Maison et monument de Cadoudal dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Maison et monument de Cadoudal open to visitors?
Maison et monument de Cadoudal is currently closed to visitors.