Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The house at 12-14 rue d'Anjou in La Guerche-de-Bretagne is an example of 16th century Breton civil architecture, although its original elements are today rare. Its structure combines panels of wood, especially at the porch and first floor, and walls made of quartz microdiorite. The porch, 2.80 meters deep, rests on chamfered poles reinforced by aisselers, while the low sandière supports the whole. The facade, covered in the 1920s by a cement coating imitating half-timbers, incorporates mosaics bearing the inscriptions "Pharmacie-Centerale" and "Drugerie-Herboristerie", testifying to its ancient commercial use.

The back part of the house, built in stoneware, contrasts with the wood-pan advance of the porch, supported by posts resting on stone soles, partially covered with posterior cement. The rumped roof, covered with slate, completes this hybrid structure. As early as 1907, a postcard attests to the presence of a pharmacy in the building, a function confirmed by oral sources suggesting apothecary since the 1920s. The mosaics, similar to those of the neighbouring house (No. 16, dated 1926), suggest an aesthetic renovation consistent with the era, partially masking the medieval elements.

Classified as a Historical Monument by decree of 5 April 1948 for its facades, roofs and chimney stumps, this house illustrates the evolution of urban uses, from a medieval residential structure to a local trade. The two cadastral plots (formerly C 244 and C 246) reveal an original split into two spans, with differences in treatment between Damier-shaped and single-wood strips. Despite the transformations, the porch and some architectural details allow to date the 16th century building, although its interpretation remains limited by the scarcity of original elements.

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