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Origin and history

The house at 1 rue du Général-de-Gaulle (formerly rue de la Mairie) in the Faou is an example of 16th century civil architecture. It is part of a series of houses built along the Grand Rue, the main axis of the city linking the church Saint-Sauveur to the port. These houses, often with wooden panels with protruding floors, belonged to notables and merchants, reflecting the economic prosperity of the city at that time.

In the 16th century, local authorities began to restrict buildings to corbellation because of the risks of fire, although tolerance persisted until the 18th century. The Grand Rue, which had become too narrow for increasing traffic, was enlarged in 1764 and renamed after the Liberation in tribute to General de Gaulle. Despite the demolitions linked to the modernization, several 16th-century houses, including this one, were preserved thanks to the reduction in road traffic after the arrival of the railway.

This house, classified as Historic Monument, illustrates the architectural heritage of the Faou, marked by an exceptional concentration of ancient houses. Its chimney lintel, dating from 1654, bears the coat of arms of the family L'Haridon, attesting to its social importance. The street, once a commercial and artisanal heart, today preserves the memory of this era through its facades and its historical route.

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