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Origin and history

The house at 2 rue d'Anjou in La Guerche-de-Bretagne is a historic monument registered since 1948 for its facades and roofs. Built in the 16th century, it is distinguished by its two-span porch and four posts, both of which are exceptionally close (57 cm apart). This porch, 2.50 metres deep, is partly based on posts and a sandstone integrated into the ground floor masonry. The posts, with an enlarged head, support a low sander receiving the soles, while the high sander overlooks the whole. The façade, now covered with a coating imitating a half-timber, masks an original structure made of quartz microdiorite and wood panels. The upper part of the porch forms a gable decorated with an overflowing decorated farm, accompanied by a wooden volute to the west and an oculus piercing the west wall.

The floor, in wooden panels, has a gable angle span, while the ground floor houses a complex porch, flanked by two chimneys: one on a split wall facing the entrance, the other on the east wall. A covered slate lantern, rising up the northwest corner and illuminated by an oculus, suggests the original location of the stairway. The chamfered bays on the ground floor and the various openings (including an oculus) testify to an architectural design developed for the time. The building stands out from nearby houses by its more sophisticated plan, combining residential functions and rare decorative elements, such as the volute or carved farm.

Classified for its facades and roofs by decree of 5 April 1948, this house illustrates the Breton craft of the 16th century, blending traditional techniques (woodpans, moellon) and structural innovations (close-posted porch, overhanging sandstones). Its state of conservation, despite subsequent modifications (painted imitation half-timber), makes it a valuable testimony of the urban habitat of the Renaissance in Brittany. Studies conducted in 2004 (Preliminary Inventory) and 2019 (Thematic Inventory) documented its particularities, such as the precise dimensions of the porch or the presence of two separate homes, perhaps reflecting a complex domestic organization for the time.

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