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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The rowing Truce House, also known as the House of the Monkeys, is an emblematic building in Malestroit, Morbihan. Built in the 15th century, it is distinguished by its facade in wooden panels decorated with grotesque sculptures, including a sow that seems to spun out of wool, which earned it its name. Located in 3 Place du Bouffay, right in the city centre, it illustrates the medieval civil architecture of Brittany.

Ranked a historic monument by decree of 17 October 1923 for its facades and roofs, the house has had several uses over the centuries. In the 19th century, its facades were completely coated, masking the wooden panels. In the 1920s, it housed coffee. In 2015, it became the seat of a museum-boutique dedicated to the Rabbits of Ubisoft, mixing heritage and contemporary culture.

The dendrochronological analysis carried out in 2019 specified its construction period between 1515 and 1527. The sculptures, besides the sow, represent a hunter blowing in a horn, scenes of daily life (like a man beating his wife), as well as animals (dog, wolf, hare playing biniou). These patterns reflect the medieval imagination and popular humour of the time.

Architecturally, the house includes a ground floor on basement, two square floors and a top. The masonry sole, covered with shale slabs, served as a stall for a shop accessible from the square or street. The carved aisseliers, typical of Breton half-timbered houses, make this a rare testimony of the early 16th century craftsmanship.

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