Timeline

Origin and history

The house at 12 rue des Gentilshommes in Quimper is an emblematic building of Breton architectural heritage. Built in the 16th century, it is distinguished by its stone façade, typical of bourgeois houses of the period. This building is part of the ancient centre of Quimper, a city marked by its medieval and reborn history, where half-timbered and stone houses still coexist today.

Classified as a Historic Monument, this house was partially protected by order of 22 May 1956, specifically covering its facades on street and the corresponding roof slope. This official recognition underlines its importance in the urban landscape of Quimper, a city whose development was influenced by its role as a commercial and religious crossroads in Brittany. The houses of this period often reflect the prosperity of local merchants and artisans.

The location of this house, in a street with evocative name (Gentilshommes), recalls the social organization of the time, where the urban elites (noblesse, bourgeoisie) occupied stone houses, symbols of their status. In Quimper, as in other Breton cities, these houses served both as a home and a place for economic activities, illustrating the close link between privacy and public life in the Renaissance.

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