Brittany Section
Rue de L'Horloge - Historic Dinan - Brittany
Tour de l'Horloge in Rue de l'Horloge
Rue de l'Horloge is one of the major streets in the historic walled city of Dinan.
Exceptional buildings, many listed Historical Monument, line this street named after the Tour de l'Horloge.
Queen Anne de Bretagne commissioned the construction of the 40m high square tower.
The Tour de l'Horloge housed the Maison de la Ville or town-hall of Dinan until the French Revolution.
Hamzler, the renowned master-watchmaker from Nantes, created the clock (horloge) in 1498.
The bell dates from 1507 and was named after Ann of Brittany.
The tower's 158 steps lead up to a platform that boasts prime views of Dinan and surrounding countryside.
The Tour de l'Horloge is a listed Historical Monument.
Maison du Gisant
The recumbent statue (gisant) placed on the pavement, under the pillars of the Maison du Gisant at no13, is one of the unusual features in Rue de l'Horloge
The facade and roof of this 17th century building, located next to the tower, are listed Historical Monuments.
The 14th century recumbent statue of a Knight was discovered in the building's basement during restoration work.
The house had no particular name, and therefore became named after the statue!
Hôtel de Kératry
The Maison Kératry - Hôtel de Kératry is another exceptional building.
Three granite pillars support the half-timbered mansion which was built in 1559 in the town of Lanvollon.
The city of Dinan acquired it in 1938 and rebuilt it stone by stone by the Théâtre des Jacobins.
The mansion is now home to the Maison de la Harpe - it once housed the Tourist Office of Dinan, which is now by the Château de Dinan.
The Hôtel de Kératry is a listed Historical Monument.
Théâtre des Jacobins
The Lords of Lanvallay built the Couvent des Jacobins in 1224.
The chapel was decommissioned during the French Revolution.
However, it escaped demolition and was recently restored and converted into a hotel.
The former monastic buildings, at the corner of Rue de l'Horloge and Rue Pavie, now house the Théâtre des Jacobins.
The Lords of Lanvallay were a junior branch of the Lords of Dinan.
They were therefore all buried in Saint-Sauveur Basilica, except for Guillaume de Lanvallay who left for England during the 12th century.
His grave and recumbent statue are in the church of Walkern, North London.
Department of Côtes d'Armor
Coordinates: Lat 48.453214 - Long -2.043344