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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Lesmadec Manor House, located in Peumerit in the southwest of Finistère (Cornouaille), is an iconic building built mainly in the 15th century. It follows a U-shaped plan open to the south on a 17th century leisure garden. The oriental portal, monumental, is surmounted by a circular dovecote arched in a cross of warheads, while the main house preserves sprockets and horns carved from fantastic animals. At the back, a stone staircase and a square pavilion complete the whole, whose farm buildings were redesigned in the 19th century.

The first notable historical mention dates back to 1541, when Jeanne du Chastel, wife of Alain II de Rosmadec, declared the mansion dependent on his fief of Prat ar Stang. In 1580, Louise de Lesmadec, wife of Jehan de Corfmao, built the pigeon house on the porch, decorated with their shield. The estate changed hands in 1675, acquired by Gilles Le Forestier de la Noé, a lawyer and captain of the coast guard, whose family gradually anointed. After several transmissions, the mansion was modernized in 1828 by the ancestors of Theodore Le Hars, the mayor of Quimper, who gave it its present appearance.

In 1921, Louis Le Guennec studied the mansion and made sketches, although his unpublished observations had led to misinterpretations, notably on the dating of the house renovations. These modifications, originally attributed to the 18th century, actually took place after 1812, as confirmed by the inventories of the time and the reports of the Bâtiments de France. Today, the mansion remains a private property belonging to the Evrard family, with some of its elements (portal, dovecote, staircase) inscribed in the Historical Monuments since 1968.

The mansion illustrates the architectural and social evolution of Brittany, passing from the hands of noble families like the Rosmadec to bourgeois anoblis like the Le Forestier. Its dovecote, symbol of seigneurial prestige, and its carved decorations reflect the status of its successive owners. The reshuffles of the 18th and 19th centuries testify to the adaptations to lifestyles and aesthetic tastes, while preserving characteristic medieval elements.

The archives also mention notable family anecdotes, such as the marriage in 1815 of Delphine Charlotte Le Coq Duparc, a widow at the age of 25, with the apprentice gardener of the mansion, a scandal for the time. These human accounts add a social dimension to the architectural history of the place, highlighting its central role in local life for more than five centuries.

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