Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The house located at 10 rue Saint-Salomon in Vannes is a large urban residence built in 16th century street alignment. Today it occupies the entire plot after the cover of its posterior court. Its oblique facade, made of wood on two square floors, rests on a stone base. Two capital columns frame the entrance, while the side walls, of stone, end with exposed gables. The structure, stiffened by crosses of Saint-André or by fern motifs, shows traces of subsequent changes, especially in the openings.

The house is divided into two parts: the first, on the street, presents a wooden structure with carved sandstones (fat leaves, ground holidays) and traces of an old fireplace disappeared. The second part, to the north, houses a wooden staircase without day return, equipped with a baluster ramp, and a coated stone facade pierced with segmental arch windows. An inscription in the upper sandstone of the ground floor attests to its construction in 1560 by Jehan Foliart, as evidenced by the Latin motto Pax hvnc domvm and omnibvs inhabitantibvs in ea.

Originally, the site was occupied by four houses mentioned in a ducal annuitant of 1455-1458. The present house, rebuilt in the 16th century, belonged in 1677 to Sébastien Foliard, Sieur de Trevinec. In the 18th century, a posterior body was added to part of the courtyard, while the openings of the facade were taken over. In the 19th century, skylights were added, and major changes in the 20th century (disappearance of a stall, court cover) altered its original appearance. The façade, classified as a Historical Monument in 1929, retains remarkable elements such as fantastic carved animals and ground beams.

Architectural details reveal a constant evolution: the small original windows, supported by alleged Saint Andrew crosses, were replaced by larger openings. The low sandstones, with chamfers and leave, no longer correspond to the current facade poles, a sign of successive transformations. The west wall still bears the trace of a preserved wall cabinet, vestige of the period interior layout. The staircase, the central element of the second part, illustrates the know-how of the Breton Renaissance carpenters.

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