A fire broke out on the morning of Sunday January 12 at the Kernault manor in Mellac (Finistère). The fire spread around 8:30 a.m. at the structural level, requiring the intervention of 77 firefighters to extinguish the fire, the cause of which has not yet been determined. Although no casualties were reported, the entire roof of the building was destroyed. The prefect of Finistère welcomed, in a press release, “the work of the firefighters which made it possible to contain the fire, to prevent it from spreading to the chapel adjoining the damaged building and thus to preserve a large part of the heritage elements of interest”.
The manor, classified as a historic monument, had been under restoration since 2020. The Department invested 4.6 million euros in the work which was due to be completed next March. The project began with the renovation of the half-timbered attic, then with that of the house from September 2022. The repair of its roof had just been completed last December and the reopening of the place to the public was looming next spring. . In a publication on X (formerly Twitter), Rachida Dati assured that the Ministry of Culture “will support the departmental council, owner of the monument, in the conservation work which must be carried out as quickly as possible”.
Built in the 15th century, the Kernault manor is one of the five heritage sites in the Department forming the “Heritage Trails in Finistère”. Remodeled until the end of the Ancien Régime, the manor consists of a stately home, a 17th century timber-framed attic, a private chapel and a fishpond. Open to the public, it offers a museum tour retracing the history of the place. It also houses the Center for Research and Documentation on Oral Literature.
Fire at the Manoir de Kernault in Mellac (Finistère), January 12, 2025.
© Finistère.gouv.fr