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Origin and history

The Malouinière des Courtils-Launay is a corsair house built in 1724 in Saint-Coulomb, Ille-et-Vilaine (British). It is distinguished by its atypical architecture, adapted to the slope of the terrain: a nearly blind north facade and a four-span south façade, supplemented by two side bays added at the end of the 19th century. Its original plan separates the large living room west from the staircase and the room east, while the kitchen, relegated to the former adjacent mansion, communicates with the room through a door pierced in the east wall.

The malouinière was built for the privateer Jean de Launay (1676-1719), who worked alongside Pierre Perrée du Coudray on the seas of South America. At his death, the estate passed to his son-in-law, Louis Bernard de Courville, and then to the Robert de Lamennais family in 1759. Since 1836, she has belonged to the Herbert de La Portbarré family. Despite some modifications (resuming the southern facade of the communes in the 19th century), the ensemble retains a good conservation condition, with an intact environment and decor, including a nice central wooden staircase.

Ranked a historic monument in 1993, the Courtils Launay Malouinière illustrates the architecture of the 18th century Malouin corsair houses. Its protected elements include the facades and roofs of the house and communes, the interior staircase, as well as the enclosure wall. The site, located in La Ville Aze in the commune, remains a testimony of the maritime and aristocratic history of the region, mixing family heritage and preserved architectural heritage.

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