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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Malouinière dumaine, also known as the Logis du Mur Blanc, is an emblematic residence built around 1730 in the Saint-Malo region. It embodies the sober and functional architecture of the malouinières, residences of privateers and shipowners of the eighteenth century. Its classic three-span plan, supported chimneys and oval oculi reflect the stylistic influences of the time, while preserving archaisms such as the absence of a floor strip.

Admitted to Bertrand Dufresne of the Tomorrow, shipowner and private captain born in 1685, the property then passed to his grandson, Julien Dufresne, heir to a line of malouin corsairs. After the Revolution, it was sold to the Marquis Fournier de Bellevue, a planter from Santo Domingo. Transformed into an agricultural dependency after 1918, it thus escapes the unexpected modernizations, preserving its original interior decor, including woodwork and vaulted ceilings.

The garden and enclosures, recreated according to historical traces, were listed as historical monuments in 1993. Despite years of abandonment, the house retains a remarkable conservation state, with elements such as a fastening buffet and fountain niches applied in the dining room. The malouinière illustrates both the discreet opulence of the Malouin shipowners and the local architectural traditions, combining 18th century innovations and the persistence of older techniques.

The sources mention a possible attribution to the Girard family of the Tomorrow, although not confirmed, stressing the lack of precise documentation on its construction. Today in the process of restoration, it remains a rare testimony of this maritime heritage, linked to the golden age of the Malian race and colonial trade.

Its inscription as a historical monument in 1993 covers the house, its interior decoration, its paintings, as well as the garden and its enclosure. The malouinière dumaine thus embodies a part of the economic and social history of Brittany, between maritime adventure, triangular commerce and architectural heritage.

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