Heritage TourThe old villageRochefort-en-Terre

The old village

Situated below the village, this part of Rochefort-en-Terre is known as the “Vieux Bourg” (Old Town), because it’s the village’s original center.

Getting there

Editions Darlet Soeurs Coll Musees De Bretagne Domaine Public 1web

The origins

The town originally developed below the northern flank of the rocky outcrop. The Vieux Bourg, reached by picturesque staircases, is the oldest part of the town.

The first houses in the “Vieux Bourg ” were built near the Saint-Gentien stream. It is also known as “Vieux bourg St-Nicolas”, after the chapel of St-Nicolas, which was located on the outskirts of Rochefort, near the road to Malestroit, and has since disappeared. Since 1681, it had been the seat of a chapel of that name, founded by Françoise Le Moine, and presented by her heirs.

With the construction of the castle on top of the rocky promontory, the wealthiest notables and merchants settled in the upper “town“, while the more modest population remained below. The Vieux Bourg district has traditionally been home to workers and small craftsmen.

Evolution over the centuries

During development work in the mid-19th century, many of the facades of old houses in the Old Town were moved back. Only a handful of houses dating back to the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries have survived, with few alterations.

At the same time, in the 1860s-1900s, the modernization of artisanal tanneries on the banks of the brooks led to the construction or reconstruction of larger, wealthier houses belonging to tannery owners.

Despite the many reconstructions, the neighborhood has retained its original image.

Editions E.g. Musee De Bretagne Domaine Public 1web

The calvary at Vieux Bourg

Built in 1934 by Vannes architect G. Caubert de Cléry and Parisian architect F. Balloche. Balloche, it replaces an older calvary, shown on the 1840 cadastral map and accidentally destroyed.

The new calvary supports only a “simple” cross, but is reminiscent of the region’s traditional monumental calvaries in its proportions, plan and Breton style.