Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The house of Saint Vincent, located at No 17 of Valencia Square in the intra-murals of Vannes, is a typical example of wood-paned architecture of the Breton Renaissance. Built in 1574, as evidenced by the inscriptions on the moulded beam and the niche housing the statue of Saint Vincent Ferrier, it is distinguished by its three levels in slight corbellation. The ground floor, made of moulure granite, contrasts with the floors in visible wooden panels, framed with carved stones. The house is built on the site of a set of two houses mentioned in a ducal annuitant of 1455-1458, and it is associated with the death of Saint Vincent Ferrier in 1419.

The façade of the house, classified as a historical monument since January 25, 1929, features remarkable architectural elements, such as a large beam carved of human heads and a niche dating from 1574. The building has undergone several modifications over the centuries, notably in the 19th century, where work was done to adapt the ground floor to commercial use, as evidenced by the archives of 1845 and 1846. The house also housed a business named Au bonjour des dames at the beginning of the 20th century, according to the Morbihan directory of 1901.

From a historical point of view, the house is also known as the house Saint Vincent, because it would be the place where Saint Vincent Ferrier, a Spanish Dominican preacher, died in 1419 on a trip to Brittany. This link with the saint, very venerated locally, marked the history of the building. The archives also mention successive owners, such as Catherine Nicolas in 1677 and Julien Fleury in the 19th century, who contributed to its architectural evolution.

The architecture of the house reflects a combination of styles, with persistent Gothic elements, such as leaves of chamfer leaves, and classical influences, visible in the doric pilasters of the base. The structure of the façade, decorated with fern stranded motifs, and subsequent modifications, such as the addition of a second floor and the coating of the posterior façade, illustrate the successive adaptations of the building. Despite these transformations, the house preserves traces of its medieval past, such as the remains of a chimney on the south wall, indicating the original existence of an additional floor.

Today, the house of Saint Vincent remains a valuable testimony to the urban history of Vannes. Its location in the intramural area, close to monuments such as Hotel Saint-Georges and Château-Gaillard, makes it a key element of the city's architectural heritage. The facade, which has been protected for almost a century, continues to attract attention for its mix of Breton constructive traditions and Renaissance innovations.

External links