Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The house located at 1 rue d'Asfeld in Saint-Malo is a typical example of architecture from the 1st quarter of the 18th century, when the city was a high place of the race (legal piratery). This building, now listed as a Historic Monument, bears witness to the opulence of the Malouin shipowners and privateers, whose activities have marked the local economy. Its facades, roofs, skylights and chimney stumps were protected by ministerial decree in 1942, highlighting their heritage value.

Engineer Garengeau, mentioned as the prime contractor, is associated with the design of this monument, although his exact role is not detailed in the available sources. The precise location, validated with medium reliability (level 6/10), corresponds to the historic address of downtown Saint-Malo, in the department of Ille-et-Vilaine. This type of house illustrates the close link between urban habitat and harbour activities in modern times.

Saint-Malo, the strategic port of Brittany, was in the 18th century a commercial crossroads and a den of privateers authorized by the King of France. The latter, often from wealthy families, invested their earnings in large homes like this one. The early protection of the vessel (1942) reflects its importance in the French maritime heritage, well before the generalisation of conservation policies. Protected architectural elements, such as skylights, are characteristic of the local style adapted to coastal climatic constraints.

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