Maison Hunault
MonumentHidden Treasure
Maison Hunault, located in La Guerche-de-Bretagne (Département 35), 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
- La Guerche-de-Bretagne, Département 35, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.9420, -1.2310
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00090595
A discreet 17th-century jewel in the heart of La Guerche-de-Bretagne, the Maison Hunault captivates visitors with its Breton bourgeois architecture, carefully matched ashlar and sculpted details of rare elegance for a civil residence.
History
Nestling in the historic market town of La Guerche-de-Bretagne, a small town full of character in Ille-et-Vilaine, the Maison Hunault is one of the most intact examples of 17th-century Breton civil architecture. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1930, it belongs to that precious category of provincial bourgeois residences which, without the splendour of châteaux, concentrate in their façades the ambition and taste of a prosperous merchant or legal class. What makes the Maison Hunault unique is precisely this human scale: neither a manor house nor a private mansion, it embodies the art of living of a well-to-do family from inland Brittany, capable of commissioning work of remarkable quality from local craftsmen. The carefully-cut stonework, finely-moulded window surrounds and balanced proportions of its façade reveal a builder keen to stand out in the urban landscape of La Guerche. Visiting the Maison Hunault is like wandering through the narrow streets of La Guerche and discovering how this town, once a bustling market town with its famous fairs, was able to produce high-quality domestic architecture. The building is part of a medieval and modern urban fabric that should be explored on foot, taking the time to read the neighbouring facades to appreciate the uniqueness of this residence. La Guerche-de-Bretagne has been awarded the "Petite Cité de Caractère" label, making it the ideal setting for this discovery. The nearby Notre-Dame collegiate church, the old covered market and the timber-framed houses create a coherent whole in which the Maison Hunault has a special place. For heritage lovers, this monument is an invitation to get away from the beaten tourist track and rediscover the unsuspected wealth of Breton villages.
Architecture
The Maison Hunault is in the tradition of 17th-century Breton civil architecture, a period when granite and schist often gave way, in the area between Brittany and Maine, to shell limestone or local tufa stone, which was more suitable for fine carving. The facade, the central element of the composition, has a sober classical layout: one bay punctuated by bays with moulded frames, whose segmental arch or semi-circular lintels bear witness to the care taken by the craftsmen to master the new forms derived from the classical repertoire. The openings are carefully proportioned, with overhanging window sills and slightly projecting architraves that enliven the surface of the façade without resorting to exuberant decoration. The top of the building, probably underlined by a moulded cornice, forms the transition to a steeply pitched roof, typical of the Armorican climate, covered in slate - the king material of inland Brittany extracted from the quarries in Angers or the Trélazé region. The dormer windows, if they have been preserved in their original state, would have had straight or arched pediments typical of the first half of the 17th century. The interior layout, although less well documented, probably follows the classic layout of middle-class houses of the period: a central corridor or vestibule leading to the reception rooms on the ground floor, the bedrooms upstairs and the converted attic space. The quality of the exterior joinery suggests well-cared-for interiors, perhaps with carved stone fireplaces and beamed ceilings.
Related Figures
Famille Hunault — propriétaires fondateurs ayant donné leur nom à la demeure, vraisemblablement bourgeois marchands ou officiers de justice à La Guerche au XVIIe siècleMaîtres maçons locaux du XVIIe siècle — artisans anonymes formés à la tradition bretonne et aux influences classiques angevines, auteurs de la façadeInspecteurs des Monuments Historiques (années 1920-1930) — agents du patrimoine ayant identifié et fait inscrire l'édifice par arrêté du 22 mars 1930Seigneurs de La Guerche — familles nobiliaires dont la présence façonna le tissu urbain dans lequel s'inscrit la maison
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Maison Hunault located?
Maison Hunault is located in La Guerche-de-Bretagne, Département 35 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Maison Hunault built?
Maison Hunault dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Maison Hunault open to visitors?
Maison Hunault is currently closed to visitors.
