Vitré, Brittany 35500

In a cité of the Marches of Brittany, a 16th-century townhouse on the square of a medieval castle. On a plot of about 600 m², the townhouse and its former stables form a U-shaped plan around an inner paved courtyard facing south. The complex is separated from the street and the castle square by a high boundary wall pierced by an entrance gate and a portal. To the north, the house is perched on the ramparts of the old strong city with, at the top of its wall, two watchtowers connected by a catwalk, where the view embraces the town and the distant countryside. Built in stone and topped with a slate roof, the main dwelling rises four levels with a living area of about 326 m². The façades are masonry of sandstone rubble in beige and bluish-gray tones. The window openings, framed by ashlar, are arranged in bays crowned with dormers. The western part dates from the 16th century and includes cellars, a reception level, a bedrooms floor, and an attic level with a Mansard-style roof and dormers. The eastern part, constructed in the 18th and 19th centuries, is extended by an additional level of storage rooms tucked into the brisis of the Mansart roof. All exterior woodwork is painted a bright golden yellow, contrasting with the deep blue of the slate roofs. Finally, a 46 m² garage, built of brick and covered with a slate roof topped by three dormers, closes the courtyard on the east side.