Puits et niche du Lion
MonumentHidden Treasure
Puits et niche du Lion, located in Lanvaudan (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
- Lanvaudan, Département 56, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.8997, -3.2625
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00091352
In Lanvaudan, a well with a coping from 1803 and a mysterious niche from 1701 surmounted by a heraldic lion in Breton granite make up a sculpted ensemble of rare singularity.
History
In the heart of deep Morbihan, in the unassuming market town of Lanvaudan, stands a heritage complex as modest in size as it is exceptional in character: the Lion's Well and Niche. This stone duo is one of the rare examples in Brittany of utilitarian and decorative architecture fused into a single coherent whole, at the crossroads of rural craftsmanship and heraldic symbolism. The dog house, carved from local granite in 1701, is topped by a sculpted lion whose hindquarters literally sink into the masonry of the façade. This truly fantastic detail - a heraldic animal frozen in the act of disappearing into the stone - lends the whole an almost dreamlike dimension, somewhere between medieval bestiary and provincial Baroque fantasy. The lion is shown curled, in other words in a posture of animated movement, reminiscent of the heraldic ornaments of the great Breton aristocratic families. The well is dated 1803. Its cylindrical curbstone, supports and grey granite mantelpiece bear witness to the skill of a master stonemason, typical of the craftsmanship of rural Morbihan at the turn of the 19th century. The whole forms a harmonious composition, where the useful and the ornamental interact across two centuries. To visit this monument is to agree to stop and consider the detail where others pass by without seeing it. The lion's enigmatic posture is revealed as you approach, and the granite, rough in the low-angled light, reveals the finesse of the work. Ideal for fans of folk art, heraldic symbolism or simply for those seeking to touch the deep soul of inland Brittany.
Architecture
The ensemble is made up of two distinct elements built a century apart, but united by the same sovereign material of Breton architecture: granite. The 1701 dog house is set against the façade of a building and carved from a monolithic or assembled block of grey granite. Its crown features a heraldic lion sculpted in the round, known as a "curly lion" - i.e. with a curly mane and moving body - whose remarkable feature is that its hindquarters disappear into the thickness of the wall, creating an effect of emergence or absorption typical of the Baroque architectural imagination of the province. The well, dated 1803, adopts a classic cylindrical shape for the coping, probably made of dressed granite courses. Its supports, probably two vertical uprights framing the coping, and its granite water-closet complete a functional and meticulous design. The sobriety of the whole corresponds to the architectural vocabulary of the Consulate: rationality, solidity, economy of means without renouncing a certain formal dignity. The exclusive use of granite for the two elements ensures their visual coherence despite the difference in time. This material, quarried in the Morbihan region of Brittany, is characterised by its bluish-grey hue, its exceptional resistance to the elements and the richness of its texture when exposed to light. The sculpted lion bears witness to a mastered heraldic vocabulary, probably executed by a local imagier or stonemason trained in the lapidary traditions of the greater Morbihan region.
Related Figures
Commanditaire anonyme de la niche (1701), probable notable ou seigneur local de LanvaudanTailleur de pierre anonyme auteur du lion héraldique (début XVIIIe siècle)Artisan maçon ayant réalisé le puits en 1803Propriétaire ou édile local ayant commandé le puits sous le ConsulatInspecteur des Monuments Historiques ayant instruit la procédure d'inscription (1934)
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Puits et niche du Lion located?
Puits et niche du Lion is located in Lanvaudan, Département 56 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Puits et niche du Lion built?
Puits et niche du Lion dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Puits et niche du Lion open to visitors?
Puits et niche du Lion is currently closed to visitors.
