Construction of the recent part 1604 (≈ 1604)
Expansion of the private hotel on the port side.
1983
Purchase by municipality
Purchase by municipality 1983 (≈ 1983)
Acquisition of the building for a future museum.
1987
Opening of the museum
Opening of the museum 1987 (≈ 1987)
Creation of the museum run by an association.
2025
Reopening of the 1st basement
Reopening of the 1st basement 2025 (≈ 2025)
New exposure after redevelopment.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Key figures
Henriette-Marie de France - Daughter of Henry IV
Stayed in the mansion.
Jacques II - King of England
Cousin de Louis XIV, host of the building.
Richelieu - Cardinal and Minister
Sponsor of the Crown (1632).
Origin and history
The Maritime Vilaine Museum is located in the Château des Basses Fosses, a 16th and 17th century mansion located in La Roche-Bernard, Morbihan. Although the building was called a "castle", it was in reality a bourgeois residence, probably owned by a rich merchant or shipowner, as evidenced by its vast cellars and rock-side structure. Its front façade has two levels, while the rear façade, on the port side, has five, exploiting the granite geology of the city. Personalities such as Henriette-Marie of France (daughter of Henry IV) or James II of England stayed there. The building retained a residential function until the end of the 20th century.
Acquired by the municipality in 1983, the mansion was transformed into a museum in 1987, under the management of the association Les Amis du musée de La Vilaine maritime. The museum presents permanent and temporary collections dedicated to navigation, shipbuilding and rural traditions of the 19th and 20th centuries. The temporary exhibitions, renewed each year, explore various themes, such as traditional wedding dresses (2022), local pottery (2023), or flowers in the costumes of the Belle Époque (2024).
The ground floor covers the history of the bridges of La Roche-Bernard, from the suspended bridge of 1839 to the Morbihan bridge of 1996, as well as the crossing of the Vilaine through the centuries, with models of traditional boats (chad, barge, schooner). A diorama, currently being renovated, reconstructs the port of the late 19th century, before the construction of the Arzal dam ( 1960s). The lower floor, closed for redevelopment until 2025, was previously dedicated to the Battle of the Cardinals (1759) and to the ship La Couronne (1632), the first three-bridge of the French navy, built in the local port by order of Richelieu.
The cellars, inaccessible to the public, illustrate the anchoring of the building in the granite rock and its historical link with the harbour activities. They were probably used as a storage place for goods because of their direct access to the port. These underground spaces highlight the architectural adaptation of the site to its geographical and economic environment, marked by river and maritime trade.
