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Key figures

Origin and history

Kervaudu Manor House is a manor house located in the commune of Croisic in the Loire-Atlantique region of France. Built at the end of the 15th century, it stands out as the first Breton mansion classified as historic monuments in 1921. Its name, meaning "domain of the black man", evokes a mysterious origin, while its isolated location, 300 meters from the village, reflects its rural and preserved character.

In the 16th century, the mansion belonged to Aubin Le Roy, one of the first Protestants of the Croisic, in an area where religious tensions marked the era. He then moved on to the Gentilhomme family, of which René, Sieur de Lespine and Kervaudu, was noted for his predictions of the birth of Louis XIV. Historiographer of Gaston d'Orléans and royal poet, he died exiled to Holland in 1670, without having denied his Protestant faith. This link with the court of France and intellectual circles adds a political and cultural dimension to the history of the place.

Sold as a national good during the French Revolution, the mansion was transformed into a farm in the 19th century, partially losing its aristocratic prestige. At the beginning of the 20th century, it became the residence of Ferdinand du Puigaudeau, post-impressionist painter of the Pont-Aven school, who immortalized in many paintings between 1907 and 1930. His daughter, the ethnologist Odette du Puigaudeau, grew up there, definitely associating the mansion with the artistic and intellectual history of the region.

Today, the Kervaudu mansion embodies both a Breton architectural heritage, a witness to the religious conflicts of the 16th and 17th centuries, and a place of inspiration for the arts. Its early ranking in 1921 underscores its historical importance, while its occupation by figures such as Puigaudeau makes it a symbol of the transition between Earth nobility and artistic modernity.

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