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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Hotel de la Tour, located in Tréguier (Bretagne), is a mansion built in the 15th century, partly on the remains of the ancient bishopric destroyed in 1594 during the wars of the League. Its Gothic portal, framed by pinnacles and surmounted by wooded coats of arms, could come from this episcopal mansion. The house, with a surface of 580 m2, combines a two-storey house body and a rear wing, with remarkable architectural elements such as a screw staircase, flat-passes between the kitchen and the upper room, and cushions in the windows.

The initial construction, probably intended for dignitaries of the chapter (as evidenced by the two coat of arms hammered above the gate), was enlarged in the seventeenth century by a north wing commissioned by Canon Philippe du Halgouët. The latter, treasurer and cousin of the bishop, is associated with hydraulic installations mentioned in a plan of 1605. The hotel, sold as a national property in 1795 to Jean-Marie Le Bouder, was then partially demolished in the 19th century by Count Gustave Le Borgne de La Tour, who built communes there for his own hotel.

The monument preserves traces of its pre-bendal use: it belonged in 1791 to Canon Michel Laennec of Penticou, the last holder before the Revolution. Its environment was profoundly changed in the 20th century, with the creation of Rue Saint-Tugdual in 1968 and the construction of social housing in its old gardens. Despite these transformations, its facades and roofs were inscribed in the Historical Monuments in 1973, and the door of the former bishopric classified in 1924.

Architecturally, the hotel combines comfort and symbolism: the upper room, served by flat-passes from the kitchen, had cushions offering views of the Guindy, while coats of arms (including the one identified by the Guermeur family) adorn the spaces. The monumental fireplace on the ground floor, the wall cupboards and the shooting openings in the stair tower reveal a design both defensive and residential. Its location, at the western entrance of Tréguier, marked the beginning of the rue des Perderies leading to the Cathedral of Saint-Tugdual.

The erroneous name of "Vieil évêché" probably comes from the reuse of the Gothic portal of the ancient Episcopal Palace. The sources also mention adjacent parcels, including an orchard and enclosure walls, which are now missing. The sale of the La Tour family property to the city in 1961 includes the hotel as well as 12,000 m2 of land, sealing its heritage destiny despite the modern arrangements that altered its original setting.

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