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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The mansion of Lesmoal, located in Plounerin in the Côtes-d'Armor, was built in the 16th century by Maurice Meur and his wife Julienne de Quélen. Situated on a hillside between 190 and 200 metres above sea level, it is distinguished by its granite architecture, its staircase with external screws, and a rare fountain located in the main hall. Originally, access was via a 120-metre west driveway from Guerlesquin, supplemented in 1998 by a south entrance reusing 16th-century armorial pillars.

The house, organized around a kitchen, a lower room and a bedroom floor, reflects the social organisation of the time. The flax barn and the dovecote, considered one of the most beautiful in the Tregor, attest to agricultural and seigneurial activities. The coat of arms of the Meur and Quélen, visible on the dovecote door and barn, underline the importance of these families in the region.

The seigneury of Lesmoal, created around 1420 by dismemberment of that of Guerlesquin, extended over more than 700 hectares in the 15th century. Maurice Meur, receiver for the Boutevilles, bought the seigneury in 1540. In 1585 the family obtained the right of high justice, confirmed in 1679. At the Revolution, the manor house, sold as a national property, passed into several hands before being restored in the 1990s by François Cotten.

The mansion has remarkable elements such as a sundial engraved with 1580, twin doors with carved decoration (choux, crossettes), and skylights inspired by local models. The chapel, mill and monumental entrance have disappeared, but the pond and dovecote remain. Land, which was farmed in the 17th century, declined from the 18th century, before a total abandonment in the 1960s.

The partial protection of the manor house in 1997 (logis, flax barn, facades and roofs of the annexes) underscores its heritage value. Recent restorations have given life to this witness of Brittany's rural architecture, combining residential, agricultural and symbolic functions (seigneurial justice, flax production).

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