Malouinière de Launay-Ravilly
MonumentHidden Treasure
Malouinière de Launay-Ravilly, located in Saint-Père (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
- Saint-Père, Département 35, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.5769, -1.9263
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00132552
Launay-Ravilly, a discreet jewel of the Malouin region, embodies with rare elegance the art of living of the Saint-Malo shipowners. Built in 1732, this medium-sized malouinière has preserved its original interior décor and surroundings, a true miracle of conservation.
History
In the heart of the Malouin region, surrounded by hedged farmland and the scent of seaweed, the Launay-Ravilly malouinière offers itself to the eye with the sovereign discretion of grand residences that have nothing to prove. Built in 1732 for François de Baudran, a lawyer and bourgeois from Saint-Malo, it is an almost documentary-like representation of the residential ideal of the racing and trading elite who made Saint-Malo famous in the 18th century. What makes Launay-Ravilly truly unique is the rare combination of meticulous architecture and unspoilt surroundings. Where so many comparable "malouinières" have lost their outbuildings, gardens or original entrances, this one has retained its entire system: the former manor house transformed into a farm, the outbuildings, the dovecote, the enclosed courtyard, the "saut-de-loup", the vegetable garden, the fishpond and the "rabine" - the avenue of trees that leads ceremoniously up to the dwelling. To enter Launay-Ravilly is to cross three centuries in a single step. The interior reinforces this impression of a preserved time capsule. The layout, typical of small Malouinières, is organised around a central hall where the staircase unfurls its sober elegance, opening onto a central dining room flanked by the grand salon on one side and the kitchen and its treéhory on the other. With the exception of the sitting room, which was remodelled in the 19th century, all the rooms have retained their period decor: wood panelling, tiling, fireplaces and fittings bear witness to the refined rigour of the Malouin art de vivre. The experience of visiting Launay-Ravilly is one of earned intimacy. This is a house steeped in history, where every detail - the height of the windows, the layout of the outbuildings, the geometry of the kitchen garden - reveals coherent architectural thinking and a way of living in the world that was typical of the great Breton maritime bourgeoisie of the 18th century. The natural setting also sets Launay-Ravilly apart from the rest. The Saint-Père countryside, at the gateway to the Emerald Coast, offers a Breton hinterland where the light changes hourly and the silence is disturbed only by the wind in the foliage of the rabine. For anyone interested in the social and architectural history of Brittany, this house is a must-see.
Architecture
Launay-Ravilly is fully in keeping with the architectural style of the malouinière, a residential type developed in the first half of the 18th century by the Saint-Malo bourgeoisie on its outlying land. The main dwelling has a compact quadrangular plan, typical of this type, with three bays in front and a sober elevation that emphasises regularity and quality of execution over decorative ostentation. The proportions are controlled and the lines clean, in a classic French spirit tinged with the restraint typical of Breton taste. The interior layout follows the canonical model for small "malouinières": a central hall accommodates the staircase and distributes the reception rooms - dining room in the centre, large lounge on one side, kitchen and trehory (small utility room) on the other. This functional and elegant layout reflects a bourgeois way of life that was as concerned with domestic comfort as it was with social representation. The dwelling is linked to two service pavilions by the wall separating the courtyard from the garden, a characteristic compositional system that clearly defines the spaces and establishes a hierarchy of uses. The care taken in the construction is universally acclaimed: the quality of the masonry, the precision of the bay frames and the coherence of the whole make Launay-Ravilly an example of meticulousness that is uncommon for a residence of this scale. The materials used, local dressed stone and granite from the Malouine region, give the house the austere grey hue that characterises classical Breton architecture. The interior décor - wood panelling, fireplaces, tiling - bears witness to the Malouin craftsmen's perfect mastery of the decorative codes of early 18th-century France.
Related Figures
François de Baudran — avocat au parlement et membre de la bourgeoisie malouine, commanditaire et constructeur de la malouinière en 1732La famille de Baudran — lignée bourgeoise malouine dont l'ancienneté et le prestige social justifiaient l'édification d'une résidence campagnarde de qualitéLes artisans malouins de 1732 — maçons, menuisiers et décorateurs anonymes dont la maîtrise technique explique l'état de conservation exceptionnel du bâti
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Malouinière de Launay-Ravilly located?
Malouinière de Launay-Ravilly is located in Saint-Père, Département 35 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Malouinière de Launay-Ravilly built?
Malouinière de Launay-Ravilly dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Malouinière de Launay-Ravilly open to visitors?
Malouinière de Launay-Ravilly is currently closed to visitors.