Maisons
MonumentHidden Treasure
Maisons, located in Vannes (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
- Vannes, Département 56, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.6576, -2.7568
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00091800
In the heart of the old town of Vannes, these timber-framed houses listed as Historic Monuments embody the medieval soul of the Breton city, with their sculpted corbels and facades decorated with motifs typical of Morbihan.
History
Nestling in the labyrinth of cobbled streets in the historic centre of Vannes, these timber-framed houses form one of the best-preserved medieval urban ensembles in the whole of Brittany. Far from being museum reconstructions, they are living, having been inhabited for centuries, and bear witness to a remarkable urban continuity in a town that was once the capital of the Duchy of Brittany. The fact that they were listed as Historic Monuments in 1933 is testimony to the early recognition of their exceptional heritage value. What distinguishes these Vannes residences from the half-timbered houses of Normandy and Alsace is the uniqueness of their Breton ornamental vocabulary: the corner posts are often sculpted with figures, fantastical animals or plant motifs, testifying to the skills of the carpenter-tailors of the 15th and 16th centuries. The successive corbelling creates a characteristic overhanging effect, gradually reducing the width of the streets and giving the passages the appearance of covered open-air galleries. Wandering around these façades is like taking a trip back in time. Each carved wooden beam and each sculpted joist tells a story of craftsmanship and trade: these houses were once home to merchants, craftsmen and bourgeois, whose prosperity was reflected in the richness of their architectural details. The Place des Lices and the adjoining streets of the old town of Vannes provide the ideal setting to discover them, between the medieval ramparts and Saint-Pierre cathedral. The overall coherence of the setting is rare in southern Brittany: timber-framed houses sit side by side with granite mansions and the towers of the fortifications that are still standing, creating an urban panorama of uncommon historical density. The Atlantic light, often golden in the late afternoon, reveals the relief of the sculpted facades with particular intensity, making these houses a favourite subject for photographers and watercolourists.
Architecture
The timber-framed houses of Vannes illustrate the best of the Breton medieval building tradition. The load-bearing system is based on an oak frame - the predominant species in the forests of Morbihan - made up of vertical posts, runners, sloping overhangs and horizontal room courses. The gaps between the wooden elements are filled with cob or flat brick, often whitewashed. The facades are corbelled over two or three storeys, with each storey projecting slightly over the previous one thanks to sculpted false entablatures or elaborate brackets. The originality of Vannes lies above all in the iconographic quality of the sculptures adorning the corner posts and runners: full-length figures, expressive faces, heraldic or fantastical animals, stylised floral motifs - all decorations that transform the load-bearing structure into an ornamental programme. This sculptural vocabulary, similar to that of Breton church stalls and rood screens from the same period, demonstrates the porosity between the learned and popular arts that was characteristic of late Gothic Brittany. The openings, with stone or wooden mullions, feature lowered or braced arches in the 15th century, gradually replaced by straight lintels in the 16th century. The roofs, which are steeply pitched in keeping with the demands of the Atlantic climate, are covered in local slate - a material that is emblematic of Brittany - or, in the case of the oldest residences, flat tiles, which have disappeared during modern restorations. Together, they form a jagged urban silhouette, punctuated by timber-framed dormers and overhanging coyotes, typical of the architectural landscape of medieval Breton towns.
Related Figures
Artisans charpentiers-sculpteurs bretons des XVe-XVIe siècles, auteurs des façades ornementéesMarchands de toiles et armateurs vannetais du XVe siècle, commanditaires de ces demeures bourgeoisesFrançois Ier, roi de France, dont l'annexion de la Bretagne en 1532 signa à Vannes influa sur l'évolution urbaine de la villeDuchesse Anne de Bretagne, figure tutélaire dont le règne coïncide avec l'apogée du bâti médiéval vannetaisInspecteurs des Monuments Historiques des années 1930, artisans de la protection officielle de 1933Prosper Mérimée, inspecteur général des Monuments Historiques, dont l'action nationale favorisa la reconnaissance du patrimoine breton
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Maisons located?
Maisons is located in Vannes, Département 56 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Maisons built?
Maisons dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Maisons open to visitors?
Maisons is currently closed to visitors.
