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Origin and history

The former convent of the Ursulines du Faouët, founded in 1658 by Sébastien du Fresnay, Baron du Faouët, and his wife Anne Petau of Immancheville, obtained his letters of confirmation in 1681. The site includes two houses in square with a cloister gallery, as well as a chapel at the northeast corner. The works ranged from 1679 (completement of the north building) to 1697 (end of the other bodies), with subsequent improvements such as the 1757 gate and reshuffles in 1866.

In 1987, the municipality acquired the former convent to set up the Faouët Museum, which was inaugurated in 1987. This museum, dedicated to painting, presents works reflecting local daily life between 1845 and 1945. The municipal collection, initiated before 1914 by Victor Robic (mother and artist), is enriched by donations from artists such as Arthur Midy, Charles Rivière and Sydney Curnow Vosper, attracted by Breton heritage.

The museum, labeled Musée de France in 2012, has been pursuing an active acquisition policy since the 1990s, quadrupling its fund. Works come from donations, bequests, municipal purchases or deposits (such as those of the Morbihan departmental council). In 2003, sixteen paintings and drawings by Jean-Georges Cornélius were filed. Despite initiatives such as an outdoor journey in 2009 (deleted for degradation), the museum remains a key place for art in inland Brittany.

The chapel and the northern gate of the convent have been inscribed in the Historical Monuments since 1987. The site, a communal property, illustrates the architectural evolution of the 17th to 19th centuries, mixing religious heritage and contemporary cultural vocation. Temporary exhibitions highlight artists who have attended Le Faouët, such as Mathurin Méheut or Germain David-Nillet, while exploring themes related to Breton artistic history.

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