Timeline

Heritage classified

Origin and history

This building in Quimper, dating from the 17th century, is a collection of houses remarkable for their architecture and location. The first house, in an angle, has a facade on stone-coated street with frames of cut stone bays, while its side façade is made of wooden panels. These architectural details illustrate the mixed construction techniques used at that time in Brittany.

The second house is distinguished by its gable on street and its facade in coated bellows, with bay frames also made of cut stone. The third house has a facade entirely made of wood, embellished with corbellations on each floor, a characteristic common in medieval and modern urban centres. Finally, the latest construction combines wood panels and a covered dardoise gable, a material typical of the region.

These houses offer a privileged view of the spires of the cathedral of Quimper, highlighting their integration into the historic urban landscape. Their partial protection, with registration as Historic Monuments in 1953, bears witness to their heritage value. Only on-street facades and corresponding roofs are protected, reflecting a desire to preserve the exterior appearance of these buildings.

The location of these houses on Rue Sainte-Catherine, an axis probably used in the seventeenth century, suggests their role in the daily life of Quimper. At that time, the city was an important economic and religious centre in Cornwall, where wood-paned houses served as housing, workshops and trading venues. Their conservation allows today to evoke the urban atmosphere of modern Brittany.

The materials used, such as wood, stone and slate, were commonly used in the area because of their local availability. Wood panels, in particular, allowed rapid and economical construction, while providing some architectural flexibility. It was extracted in Brittany and was valued for its durability and aesthetics, strengthening the visual identity of buildings.

The inscription of these facades in 1953 marks an official recognition of their historical and architectural interest. This partial protection is intended to preserve the most representative elements of the era, while allowing interiors to be adapted to contemporary needs. These buildings thus constitute a tangible testimony of the urban evolution of Quimper over the centuries.

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