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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The castle of Coët-Candec, located in the Morbihan, is a medieval monument built in the 13th century, then profoundly redesigned in the 15th century, especially in its central part. It consists of a main house surrounded by two concentric enclosures: the first, with walls of 4 meters high and ditches, had several towers and a fortified gate to the north; the second protected access to the main building. Inside, a polygonal staircase tower with screws and a forebody remain in the east wing, while a tower marks the southwest corner. Two carved chimneys of Arms, classified as historical monuments in 1958, once decorated the halls before being transferred to Pontivy Castle in 1961. The site, abandoned in the 1950s, is more than ruins today.

In the 19th century, the castle underwent aesthetic and technical changes: widening of the openings, suppression of the shingles, covering of the walls and plaster ceilings, and replacing the pavements by parquet floors point of Hungary. Owned by the Chohan family in the 14th century, it then passed to the Bourdonnaye in the 17th century. Partially classified as early as 1927 (for its chimneys), then listed as a historical monument in 1939, the estate is now supported by the association Les Amis de Coëtcandec, created in 2014. In 2021, Stéphane Bern's Heritage Mission allocated 34,000 euros to restore the stair tower and stabilize the masonries.

The architecture of the castle reflects a juxtaposition of epochs: the oldest part, probably to the north, dates from the thirteenth or fourteenth centuries, while the central body is characteristic of the fifteenth century. The facade retains defensive and residential elements, such as the stair tower and outbuildings. The site, though degraded, bears witness to the successive transformations of a medieval fortress into a seigneurial residence, before its decline in the 20th century. The local association works for its preservation and enhancement, in a context of threatened Breton heritage.

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