Maison Renaissance située au Sud de l'église
MonumentHidden Treasure
Maison Renaissance située au Sud de l'église, located in Sarzeau (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
- Sarzeau, Département 56, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.5270, -2.7686
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00091732
In the heart of Sarzeau, this Renaissance house conceals a granite dormer window of rare sculptural virtuosity: circular pediment, female bust in shell and Breton mermaid, a 17th-century masterpiece.
History
In the village of Sarzeau, in the south of the Rhuys peninsula, stands one of the most refined residences in Brittany's civil heritage. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1933, this so-called "Renaissance" house only reveals its exceptional character when you look up at its granite dormer window, a veritable sculpted showcase that in itself encapsulates several centuries of art and symbolism. What makes this monument absolutely unique is the rich iconography of its dormer window. Whereas other middle-class residences in the region are content with sober geometric ornamentation, the Sarzeau house displays a remarkably ambitious sculptural programme: pilasters with capitals, a circular pediment housing a shell enclosing a bust of a woman in high relief, a winged figure with a sword and a mermaid with a sinuous tail. This accumulation of mythological and Christian motifs creates a fascinating visual tension, typical of the late Breton Renaissance. The experience of visiting the house is one of intimate discovery. The house is not a castle or a manor house with a grand façade: it stands within the urban fabric of the village, and it is precisely this integrated character that gives it its charm. Passers-by in a hurry don't always notice it. The architecture enthusiast, on the other hand, stops dead in front of the dormer window and can't take his eyes off it, multiplying the angles of view to decipher each sculpted detail. The Sarzeau setting adds an extra dimension to the visit. The Rhuys peninsula, bathed by the Gulf of Morbihan and the Atlantic Ocean, offers an exceptional natural and heritage environment: just a few kilometres away is the Château de Suscinio, former residence of the Dukes of Brittany. The Renaissance house is set in an area steeped in history, where art and the sea have been intertwined for centuries.
Architecture
The building belongs to the category of seventeenth-century Breton bourgeois houses, built in granite, a material that is almost exclusive to the region due to the abundance of local quarries. While the general structure of the house - a one- or two-storey main building with a steeply pitched roof - follows the traditional construction patterns of the Rhuys peninsula, it is the dormer window that is the defining and unique architectural feature. This rectangular granite dormer is treated like a sculpted altarpiece. It is organised around pilasters with capitals framing the central opening, topped by a semi-circular cornice that rests on either side of two figures sculpted in high relief: on the left, a winged figure holding a sword - possibly the Archangel Michael - and on the right, what appears to be a mermaid, a hybrid creature with maritime connotations strongly rooted in Breton mythology. The central circular pediment houses a shell in high relief containing a female bust, the identity of which remains debated: an allegorical figure, a portrait of the patron or a marine divinity. At the top, a Renaissance finial resting on a decorated base elegantly completes the composition. This sculpted ensemble reveals a proven technical mastery of granite, a material reputed to be difficult to work in fine detail. The precision of the mouldings, the protrusion of the volumes and the finesse of the faces bear witness to a sculpture workshop in tune with the artistic trends of its time, capable of transposing decorative formulas from Renaissance architectural treatises into Breton stone.
Related Figures
Commanditaire anonyme de la lucarne (XVIIe siècle) — notable local, probablement issu de la bourgeoisie marchande ou juridique de SarzeauSculpteur anonyme de la lucarne — artisan ou maître sculpteur breton formé dans la tradition Renaissance tardiveProsper Mérimée — inspecteur général des Monuments Historiques, dont l'action nationale permit la prise en compte du patrimoine civil bretonInspecteurs des Monuments Historiques des années 1930 — responsables de l'inscription de la maison le 23 juin 1933
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Maison Renaissance située au Sud de l'église located?
Maison Renaissance située au Sud de l'église is located in Sarzeau, Département 56 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Maison Renaissance située au Sud de l'église built?
Maison Renaissance située au Sud de l'église dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Maison Renaissance située au Sud de l'église open to visitors?
Maison Renaissance située au Sud de l'église is currently closed to visitors.