Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The house at 10 rue d'Anjou in La Guerche-de-Bretagne is an emblematic example of 16th century civil architecture. This building is distinguished by its two-span porch, supported by wooden poles decorated with smooth squids and "old" motifs. The poles rest on stone solins to avoid moisture, while the low sandstone, recessed, supports beams and solives. The high, molded and slightly staggered sandblast creates a characteristic overhang. The crucifixing and the crosses of Saint-André adorning the aisle of the window underline the know-how of the carpenters of the time.

The first floor, in strips of wood, presents carved pigeatres (today wooded) at the ends and around the window, as revealed by an ancient postcard. These decorations, as well as the roof crowlets, have disappeared, but their traces testify to a careful ornamentation. The façade, initially coated, combines quartz microdiorite bellows for the ground floor and wood pan for the floor, topped by a roof with covered croupes d'Ardoise and a sprig of wood. The depth of the building, with its chamfered windows on the west wall, suggests a mixed vocation: trade on the ground floor and residence on the first floor, typical of Breton porch houses.

The porch, an independent wooden panel structure, appears to be "glued" to the stone façade, a local feature where these architectural elements often had a separate cover. This house, classified as a Historical Monument since 1948 for its facades, roofs and chimney stumps, illustrates the adaptation of medieval techniques to the urban needs of the Renaissance. Its present state, although modified (disappearance of sculpted decorations), retains key elements such as the cornel posts or the geometric motifs of the Saint-André crosses.

Historical sources, including the inventories of F. Gosselin (2019) and S. Ménard (2004), highlight his heritage interest. The house, built between the 16th and 17th centuries, reflects the evolution of constructive practices and the importance of commercial activities in small Breton cities. Its inscription as the Historical Monuments in 1948 allowed to preserve partially a vernacular architecture threatened by modern transformations.

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