Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Petits-Palets house, located on 17 Grande Rue des Stuarts in Dol-de-Bretagne (Ille-et-Vilaine), is a building dating mainly from the 12th century, with major alterations in the 17th and 20th centuries. It is considered one of the oldest houses preserved in Brittany, bearing witness to civil Romanesque architecture. Its name varies according to the sources: Maison des Plaids (Langlois), Petit Palais or Maison des Petits-Palets (François Duine). Its inscription in historical monuments, effective since 7 March 2014, protects the entire building, including its carved arcades and its characteristic L-plan.

The façade of the house is distinguished by three arches in the middle of the hanger, decorated with geometric friezes in broken sticks and carved capitals. Originally, these Romanesque bays, which are now partially clogged, gave up on commercial spaces on the ground floor, as evidenced by the descriptions of the eighteenth century mentioning cellars, shops and attices. The raising of the floor in the 16th century altered the perception of these openings, giving them a deceptive height. François Duine emphasized his architectural style of the 12th century, despite subsequent transformations, such as the piercing of square windows.

The history of the house is marked by debates among historians. Langlois claims that the renderings of episcopal justice were stolen from the windows, a thesis rejected by Duine, who sees it as a pure fantasy and rather describes a private hotel in Romanesque style. An expertise from the late eighteenth century details its structure: kitchen, room, rooms, and a garden oriented to the south. Its L-shaped plan and its facade porches illustrate the medieval urbanisation of small Breton towns, where trade and housing coexisted.

Ranked among historical monuments since 2014, the Petits-Palets house embodies both a rare architectural heritage and a symbol of local historiographic controversies. Its granite, zigzag mouldings and carved capitals make it a remarkable example of the Romanesque heritage in Brittany, while reflecting the successive adaptations to the residential and commercial needs of later eras.

External links