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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The house is a large wood panel construction with corbellation, built in the 16th century on an angle of the Place Henri IV in Vannes. Its architecture is distinguished by a cross façade structure of Saint-André, shifted to allow the opening of windows, and a corbellation supported by three consoles. The stone base supports two square floors, a high floor and a basement, while the access to the side staircase is located on the north facade.

The origin of the house dates back to at least the fifteenth century, as the archives show: it is mentioned in an annuitant of 1455 as property of Jehan Duval, after having belonged to Perrot Lorfebvre. In 1677 it was owned by Claude Le Moine, a lawyer, and sold in 1786 to Pierre Egu, a merchant. In 1840, a request for work to 'latter' the beams was refused, in order to preserve the corbellations prohibited by the by-law.

The left side wall, dated the second half of the 16th century, appears to be after the initial construction, suggesting a later modification. The poles of the windows keep traces of carved decorations (colonets engaged), rare in Vannes and probably from the 15th century. These elements, partially altered, attest to an ancient architectural richness. Unfortunately, restorations in the 20th century removed many original details.

Classified as a Historical Monument in 1929 for its facades and roofs, the house illustrates the evolution of constructive techniques in Brittany, between medieval tradition (woodpan) and subsequent adaptations. Its history also reflects the urban uses of Vannes, between bourgeois habitat, commercial activity and increasing regulatory constraints in the 18th and 19th centuries.

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