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Origin and history

The Cathuis house, located at 19-21 rue des Hauts-Pavés in Nantes, was originally a 15th century hunting lodge for Francis II of Brittany and his daughter Anne. In the 18th century, Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort acquired this high-breton manor house with vaulted rooms, a chapel and a staircase with screws. After sheltering artisans (serrier, shoemaker), he was inscribed in the historical monuments in 1926 for his facade and medieval sculptures still visible at the beginning of the twentieth century.

The house was abandoned after the acquisition by the state in 1948 as part of an aborted street widening project. Fired in 1974, it was demolished in 1980 despite its protected status because of the prohibitive cost of the work. A commemorative plaque, Place de la Fontaine-Morgane, today recalls its existence. The parcels released were used for housing in 1984.

Architecturally, the house illustrated the style of the high-breton manors, with monumental chimneys and a typical interior distribution. Its court, known as the "Cathuis Court", testified to its original organisation around a central space. The remains of the 15th century, although partially preserved until the 20th century, disappeared with the demolition, erasing a part of the Nantes heritage linked to the Breton dynasty and the social history of the city.

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