Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The town house in the Lau is an emblematic building of Cruguel, in the Morbihan, dated from the second half of the sixteenth century. Its Renaissance architecture, particularly visible on the southern façade, evokes the years 1570-1580. It is located about 1.9 km west of the centre-bourg of Cruguel, in an isolated hamlet. Its state of conservation and decorative details suggest a potential function as a priest's house, although this hypothesis is not confirmed by written sources.

The house consists of two levels, each housing a unique room, with an attic not divided in addition. Its spatial organization is atypical: the main door, more decorated, gives access to a room without fireplace, while a secondary door leads to the room with fireplace, inverting the usual arrangement of the houses of the period. A beam bears the date of 1619, after the initial construction, indicating perhaps a renovation or addition.

The facades and roofs of the house were listed as historical monuments by order of 15 March 1996. This classification underlines its heritage value, especially for its Renaissance decor and its typology close to the houses of Breton priests. The house communicates with neighbouring buildings by adding or original doors, reflecting an integration into an alignment of rural buildings.

Its current state raises questions about its initial use: the layout of rooms and accesses could indicate further transformation, such as replacing a window with a door. The absence of stairs suggests that a screw staircase, perhaps located in the northeast corner (today rounded), may have existed. These elements make it a rare testimony of the easy rural habitat of the Renaissance in inland Brittany.

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