Site archéologique du Vieux-Saint-Yves
MonumentHidden Treasure
Site archéologique du Vieux-Saint-Yves, located in Bubry (Département 56), is a medieval landmark built in the Middle Ages. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Period
- Medieval (11th-15th century)
- Location
- Bubry, Département 56, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.9294, -3.1553
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00135358
In the heart of inland Brittany, Vieux-Saint-Yves in Bubry is one of the best-preserved medieval mottes castrales in Morbihan: a 9-metre truncated cone-shaped mound, surrounded by ditches and flanked by a vast bailey.
History
Hidden away in the Breton bocage on the edge of the Pontivy region, the archaeological site of Vieux-Saint-Yves is an exceptional example of the military architecture of the central Middle Ages. Perched at the north-eastern end of a small plateau overlooking the surrounding valleys, this fortified complex combines at a glance two essential components of feudal lordship: the motte itself and its bailey. Far from being just an anonymous mound of earth, the site reveals to the trained eye all the strategic sophistication of its builders. What makes Vieux-Saint-Yves truly unique is the remarkable integrity of its landforms. The truncated cone-shaped mound, eight to nine metres high and fifty metres in diameter, imposes a powerful, orderly silhouette that has changed little over the centuries. The dry moat that surrounds it in its entirety accentuates the impression of a miniature fortress emerging from the undergrowth. Only a few modern blows - a trench at the top of the platform, the passage of a road cutting into the ditch on the south side - are a reminder that the site has not been entirely spared the vicissitudes of time. The farmyard, which backs onto the western side of the mound in an elegant semi-elliptical layout, is an essential addition to the site. The large earthen embankments to the north give a mental picture of a palisaded enclosure where the daily life of the garrison and the dependents of the seigneury was organised: stables, granaries, accommodation and perhaps a chapel dedicated to Saint Yves, whose name has survived the centuries. For visitors with a passion for archaeology or simply an interest in rural heritage, a walk around the site offers a total immersion in feudal Brittany. The surrounding hedged farmland, the mossy banks and the silence of the plateau create a contemplative atmosphere conducive to the medieval imagination. Unlike spectacular stone castles, Vieux-Saint-Yves requires an initiated eye: it is precisely this discretion that makes it a jewel for lovers of field archaeology and authentic landscapes.
Architecture
The Vieux-Saint-Yves site belongs to the family of mottes castrales with bailey, the most widespread form of fortified architecture in central medieval France. The motte, which is perfectly circular in plan and truncated cone-shaped in profile, measures eight to nine metres in height and has a basal diameter of around fifty metres - dimensions that place it among the most imposing examples in inland Morbihan. Completely surrounded by a dry moat, it formed the heart of the defensive system: its summit platform, now partially cut into by a trench, originally housed a wooden tower, of which no trace of elevation remains. The bailey, built to the west of the mound, has a semi-elliptical layout adapted to the topography of the plateau. Its northern earthworks, which are still clearly visible, show the layout of a palisaded enclosure that protected all of the seigneury's agricultural, military and domestic buildings. The combination of motte and bailey, probably linked by a drawbridge or wooden footbridge across the moat, formed a coherent and effective defensive system for its time. The entire site was built of perishable materials - earth, wood, perhaps cob - in keeping with the practices of 11th-12th century castellology. The absence of visible masonry on the surface in no way detracts from the sophistication of the project, whose power lies in the mastery of the volumes of earth and the judicious exploitation of the topographical position at the end of the plateau.
Related Figures
Seigneur local de Bubry (XIe-XIIe siècle) — bâtisseur présumé de la motte castrale, dont l'identité reste inconnue des sourcesSaint Yves de Kermartin (1253-1303) — juriste et prêtre breton dont le nom est attaché au site via le vocable de la chapelle associéeVicomtes de Rohan (XIIe-XVe siècle) — puissants suzerains du Morbihan intérieur ayant probablement exercé une autorité sur ce terroirArchivistes des Monuments Historiques (fin XXe siècle) — experts ayant conduit à l'inscription du site en 1995
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Site archéologique du Vieux-Saint-Yves located?
Site archéologique du Vieux-Saint-Yves is located in Bubry, Département 56 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Site archéologique du Vieux-Saint-Yves built?
Site archéologique du Vieux-Saint-Yves dates back to a period built in the Middle Ages (11th-15th century).
Is Site archéologique du Vieux-Saint-Yves open to visitors?
Site archéologique du Vieux-Saint-Yves is currently closed to visitors.