Presbytère de Moncontour
MonumentHidden Treasure
Presbytère de Moncontour, located in Moncontour (Département 22), 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
- Moncontour, Département 22, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.3616, -2.6320
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00089341
Au cœur de Moncontour, ce presbytère du XVIIe siècle incarne l'élégance sobre de l'architecture religieuse bretonne : façade en granite taillé, fenêtres à meneaux et volumétrie caractéristique d'une maison curiale de la Contre-Réforme.
History
Nestling in the cobbled streets of Moncontour, one of the most beautiful medieval towns in the Côtes-d'Armor, the 17th-century presbytery is a rare and well-preserved example of religious domestic architecture in inland Brittany. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1926, it and the church of Saint-Mathurin form a coherent parish complex that has structured the heart of the town for four centuries. What makes this building unique is its exceptional architectural quality for a building with a utilitarian function. Whereas other rural presbyteries in Brittany are content with a crudely-constructed structure, the Moncontour presbytery shows particular care in the cutting of the local granite, a formal approach to the treatment of the openings and a façade composition that reveals the work of an experienced master mason. This level of finish testifies to the wealth of the parish in the Grand Siècle, thanks in particular to the trade in thread and cloth that made the whole region prosper at the time. Visiting this presbytery is like immersing yourself in the daily life of a Breton clergyman under the Ancien Régime: the discreet street façade, the sobriety of the volumes, the rational layout of the rooms between the common room, the study and the farm outbuildings met the requirements of a minister who was both a man of the cloth, a local notable and the manager of a substantial parish estate. The setting itself is unforgettable. Moncontour, perched on a rocky outcrop 180 metres above sea level, has preserved most of its medieval ramparts. The presbytery is part of this remarkably coherent urban landscape, surrounded by timber-framed houses and granite town houses that have made the town one of the "Most Beautiful Towns in France".
Architecture
The building has all the typical features of a 17th-century Breton parish house: a rectangular main building in cut granite, built over two storeys under a steeply pitched roof covered in natural slate. The sober, orderly main facade is punctuated by stone mullioned windows whose curves and mouldings bear witness to an architectural vocabulary still marked by the regional Renaissance tradition, gradually softened towards the more classical forms in vogue under Louis XIII and Louis XIV. The granite walls of medium thickness, carefully dressed, contrast with the lime mortar typical of local buildings. The finely-worked ashlar window surrounds are the most striking feature of the exterior composition. The gable roof, steeply pitched in the Armorican tradition to cope with the frequent rainfall, was originally covered with slate from Trélazé or quarried locally in the Côtes-d'Armor region. The stone chimney stacks, visible from the street, show how the interior was organised into separate heated rooms. The interior layout reflects the functional requirements of the building: a large common room on the ground floor, used both as a reception area and parish office, flanked by a kitchen and pantry. The upstairs housed the rooms of the parish priest and any curate. Outbuildings - a barn, a shed and a cellar - completed the initial layout, reminding us that the Ancien Régime parish priest managed a veritable agricultural estate attached to his parish.
Related Figures
Recteurs successifs de la paroisse Saint-Mathurin de Moncontour (XVIIe-XIXe siècle)Mathurin de Moncontour, saint thaumaturge dont le culte justifiait la richesse de la paroisseFabriciens de Saint-Mathurin commanditaires de la construction au XVIIe siècleNégociants toiliers moncontourois ayant financé la prospérité paroissiale (familles de marchands du Grand Siècle)Inspecteurs des Beaux-Arts ayant instruit le dossier d'inscription en 1926
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Presbytère de Moncontour located?
Presbytère de Moncontour is located in Moncontour, Département 22 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Presbytère de Moncontour built?
Presbytère de Moncontour dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Presbytère de Moncontour open to visitors?
Presbytère de Moncontour is currently closed to visitors.
