Puits du 17e siècle de Locmerin-des-Prés
MonumentHidden Treasure
Puits du 17e siècle de Locmerin-des-Prés, located in Grand-Champ (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
- Grand-Champ, Département 56, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00091221
In the heart of Morbihan, this seventeenth-century well in Locmerin-des-Prés has an attractive cylindrical rubble stone coping and an elegant triangular pediment set on two squat pillars adorned with classical oves.
History
In the Morbihan countryside of Grand-Champ, the well at Locmerin-des-Prés stands out as one of those little masterpieces of French rural architecture that you come across at the turn of a sunken lane, and whose discretion is equalled only by the finesse of its execution. Built in the 17th century, it bears witness to a meticulous approach to everyday life, in which functional necessity in no way precluded aesthetic ambition. What sets this well apart from other Breton waterworks of the same period is the remarkable quality of its architectural composition. Far from being reduced to a simple stone coping, it boasts a carefully crafted crown: a classical triangular pediment, supported by two moulded dices decorated with oves, the egg-shaped motifs inherited from Greco-Roman antiquity and popularised in France by Renaissance architecture. This dialogue between peasant functionality and learned ornamental vocabulary is the sign of a patron concerned about his standing and of local craftsmen trained in the canons of their time. A visit to this well is an invitation to slow down and observe. As they approach, visitors will notice the perfect roundness of the rubble stone coping, patiently assembled with no apparent mortar, worn down by centuries of ropes and buckets. The winch, hidden beneath the arch of the pediment, adds a mysterious dimension to the whole: you almost have to bend down to make it out, protected as it is by the stone canopy. The immediate surroundings of the well, a former tenant farm or estate in Locmerin-des-Prés, are bathed in a typically Armorican atmosphere: dense hedged farmland, chestnut and oak hedges, stony paths. This rural setting reinforces the feeling of a journey back in time, far from the hustle and bustle of contemporary life. For photographers and heritage lovers alike, the warm, low-angled light of late afternoon reveals the full relief of the mouldings and oves with striking precision.
Architecture
The Locmerin-des-Prés well is based on a simple, effective construction principle: a cylindrical coping made from local stone rubble, carefully cut and assembled in regular courses to form a perfectly circular ring. This cylindrical shape, preferred to the square in many regions of western France, optimises the coping's mechanical resistance to earth pressure and wear over time. The most remarkable feature of the ensemble is undoubtedly its architectural crown. Two squat pillars or dice, of compact proportions and a silhouette firmly anchored in the ground, support a triangular pediment that houses and conceals the winch mechanism. These pillars are more than just rough supports: they are carefully moulded and decorated with oves, the classic motif of a string of ovoid shapes separated by fine rods, directly inherited from the Greco-Roman ornamental repertoire. The presence of these oves on a rural structure bears witness to the spread of classical vocabulary to the farthest reaches of the Morbihan countryside in the 17th century. The triangular pediment itself, with its moderate slope and smooth railings, is reminiscent of the pediments on the porches of contemporary Breton churches and manor house gates. The ensemble, which probably measures two to three metres in height above ground level, displays a remarkable stylistic coherence between the Breton sobriety of the rough rubble and the classical ambition of the sculpted ornamentation. The materials used - local granite or schist - give the structure its characteristic grey hue, which develops a patina over the years to blend in perfectly with the surrounding vegetation.
Related Figures
Seigneur ou propriétaire du domaine de Locmerin-des-Prés (XVIIe siècle) — commanditaire présumé de la constructionMaçons et tailleurs de pierre locaux du bocage morbihannais — artisans ayant réalisé les moulures d'oves et le frontonInspecteurs des monuments historiques ayant instruit le dossier de protection patrimoniale (XXe siècle)
Map
Coordinates not available for this monument.
Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Puits du 17e siècle de Locmerin-des-Prés located?
Puits du 17e siècle de Locmerin-des-Prés is located in Grand-Champ, Département 56 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Puits du 17e siècle de Locmerin-des-Prés built?
Puits du 17e siècle de Locmerin-des-Prés dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Puits du 17e siècle de Locmerin-des-Prés open to visitors?
Puits du 17e siècle de Locmerin-des-Prés is currently closed to visitors.