malouinière de la Basse-Flourie
ManorHidden Treasure
malouinière de la Basse-Flourie, located in Saint-Malo (Département 35), is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- Manor
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- Saint-Malo, Département 35, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.6151, -2.0061
- Mérimée Reference
- PA35000078
Lovée au creux d'un vallon malouin face à la Rance, la malouinière de la Basse-Flourie conjugue l'austère élégance des demeures d'armateurs et la grâce de jardins en terrasses hérités du Grand Siècle.
History
Nestling halfway up the slope between the walled city of Saint-Malo and the dark waters of the Rance, the Basse-Flourie malouinière is the perfect embodiment of the special way of life that the wealthy shipowners and merchants of Saint-Malo invented for their leisure activities in the 17th and 18th centuries: a pleasure residence facing the sea, carefully designed and deeply rooted in its landscape. What distinguishes Basse-Flourie from its counterparts is above all the complexity of its composition. The estate is more than just a house: it is a truly enclosed world, designed as a large rectangle surrounded by walls, with massive buttresses set into the river to protect it from the vagaries of the tides. Within this enclosure, two entities coexist: the first, a manor house built halfway up the slope in the 1670s, with its outbuildings, chapel, dovecote and freshwater fishpond, and, further down, the malouinière itself, built at the beginning of the 18th century, facing the Rance and its changing lights. The architecture of the malouinière itself holds a few surprises for the discerning eye. Whereas the region's large malouinières have rigorously symmetrical facades, the Basse-Flourie plays with asymmetry, a revealing sign of intelligent adaptation to the constraints of the sloping terrain and the demands of an atypical interior layout. Its Mansard-style broken roof caps the whole with a silhouette that is both classic and singular. The grounds are a discreet delight. The terraced gardens stretch right down to the water's edge, blending the spirit of French gardens with the needs of the coastal site. Between the moss-covered walls and the views over the Rance, the walk takes on a rare contemplative dimension, far from the hustle and bustle of the nearby historic centre of Saint Malo. Listed as a Historic Monument in 2017, the estate and the malouinière have been carefully restored to preserve the integrity of this exceptional ensemble. Basse-Flourie remains one of the most complete and best-preserved testimonies to the lifestyle of the great families of Saint Malo at the height of their maritime power.
Architecture
The Malouinière de la Basse-Flourie belongs to this stylistic corpus specific to the Malouin region: classic French architecture interpreted with the austerity and solidity befitting a harsh maritime climate. The facades, built from local granite, have the characteristic slightly bluish grey tint of Breton granite, which the years have covered with a noble patina. The Mansard-style broken roof, with its two distinct slopes, gives the house its distinctive silhouette and allows additional living space to be created in the attic, in keeping with the architectural precepts of the Grand Siècle. La Basse-Flourie's major architectural singularity lies in its apparent asymmetry - unusual in a style that tends to cultivate symmetrical rigour - and in its atypical interior layout. These characteristics are not the result of clumsiness or a design flaw, but of intelligent adaptation to the topography of the site: the slope of the valley, the orientation towards the Rance, the need to create specific views and circulation routes have forced the architect to work with the terrain rather than dominate it. This freedom from the canons largely contributes to the singular charm of the building. The estate as a whole is a coherent, sophisticated system. The powerful buttresses that reinforce the enclosing wall on the river side bear witness to real technical mastery: designed to withstand the onslaught of the tides, they literally anchor the garden in the estuary. The tiered terraces, with their granite retaining walls structuring the landscape, organise the descent towards the water in a landscape design that combines functionality and aesthetics. The dovecote, chapel and fishpond complete an ensemble in which each element plays a specific technical or symbolic role.
Related Figures
Armateur malouin fondateur du premier manoir (vers 1670, identité non établie avec certitude)Maître d'ouvrage de la malouinière du XVIIIe siècle (début 1700s, descendant probable du fondateur)François-René de Chateaubriand (figure tutélaire de la culture malouine, contemporain du site en pleine gloire)Robert Surcouf (corsaire malouin emblématique, représentatif du milieu social des commanditaires de malouinières)Duguay-Trouin (illustre marin malouin dont la prospérité de la cité-corsaire a rendu possible la construction de tels domaines)
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is malouinière de la Basse-Flourie located?
malouinière de la Basse-Flourie is located in Saint-Malo, Département 35 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was malouinière de la Basse-Flourie built?
malouinière de la Basse-Flourie dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is malouinière de la Basse-Flourie open to visitors?
malouinière de la Basse-Flourie is currently closed to visitors.
