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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The House called the Marquisat, located at 6 rue de la Prison in Pont-Croix, is a 15th century building, typical of the noble urban houses of Brittany. It is made of granite bells and is distinguished by its three levels served by a staircase with screws in a posterior tower, as well as by careful decorative elements: south gate, bay frames, angle window, cavet cornice and carved head on the south-west gable. Its interior, organized around functional rooms (kitchen with fireplace, rooms with integrated latrines, illuminated top), reflects a practical and refined architecture.

Former residence of the lords of Pont-Croix, this noble house was adjacent to the audience and location of the former fortress, forming the administrative and symbolic heart of the city in modern times. In 1652 it housed the first four Ursulines of Pont Croix, waiting for the completion of their convent. In the 18th century it was associated with Madame de Forcalquier, the last Marquise of Pont-Croix, who gave it its present name. Although partially altered (drilling of a garage door, disappearance of the original frame), it was restored in 1996 and converted into a heritage museum, also housing a tourist office.

The house illustrates the evolution of the uses of a seigneurial building: aristocratic residence, a place of transition for a religious community, and then a cultural and administrative space. Its stair tower, pierced with windows with views of the Goyen, suggests a monitoring role, while its interior arrangements (roadways, evacuation systems, latrines) show relative comfort for the time. Ranked a Historical Monument in 1993, it remains a remarkable example of the 15th century Breton civil architecture, despite the transformations.

The architectural details, such as the dusts of the windows or the carved heads of the cornice, underline the care taken to build it. The south-east corner window, overlooking Pont-Croix Square, and the square turret with an open view of the Goyen, reinforce its defensive and representative character. Its recent history, marked by its restoration and its museum conversion, makes it an accessible place of memory, anchored in the contemporary urban landscape.

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