Timeline

Heritage classified

Origin and history

The Petite Poudrière de Port-Louis was built in 1817 at the end of bastion 17, dit Le Papegaut, to replace an old store located in the Tower of the Gâvres. This rectangular building, built in granite bellows and covered with a vault of bricks, takes over the model of the large powder box built between 1750 and 1752 in front of the Nesmond tower, but without decorative elements. It is integrated into the defensive system of the city, linked to the fortifications of the Citadelle and the ramparts.

Classified as a Historical Monument by order of 4 May 2023, the powder box is fully protected, including its enclosure walls and its sitting floor. It is located at 4 promenade Henri-François-Buffet, in the commune of Port-Louis (Morbihan), and belongs to the municipality. Its sober architecture reflects its strictly functional use: the safe storage of powder and ammunition for surrounding fortifications.

The Petite Poudrière is part of a broader defensive ensemble, combined with other classified elements such as the Pâtis and Bois d These fortifications, inherited from the 18th and 19th centuries, bear witness to the strategic importance of Port Louis, a Breton military port since the time of Louis XIV. The powder magazine of 1817 illustrates a period of modernization of defence infrastructure, in a post-revolutionary and Napoleonic context.

Today, the site remains communal property. Although its access to the public is not specified in the sources, its recent ranking underscores its heritage value. The high walls and the brick vault, characteristic of the powder shops of the time, make it a typical example of military utility architecture of the early nineteenth century.

External links