History of the Ernest Renan House

Discover the fascinating history of this 17th-century half-timbered shipowner’s house, where Ernest Renan spent his childhood.

The History of the House

Do you know the history of this typical house in the heart of Tréguier?

Ernest Renan (1823–1892) was born in this 17th-century half-timbered shipowner’s house, which his grandparents had purchased in 1780, and lived there until he was fifteen. Following a donation by the writer’s granddaughters, the house was converted into a museum, which was officially opened on 20 July 1947 by President Édouard Herriot. In 1992, the street-facing façade was restored to mark the centenary of Renan’s death.

On the ground floor, the reception area is housed in the former grocery shop run by Renan’s mother, and the counter serves as a reminder that the house was let to a baker until 1903. From 1828 onwards, the house was divided into flats to help pay off the debts left by Renan’s father, who had died at sea.

A stone staircase leads to the first floor and its rooms, which house objects, photographs and paintings evoking Renan’s loved ones and memories.

One of the rooms features a reconstruction of the office at the Collège de France, where he served as administrator.

A second wooden staircase leads to the second floor, and a final spiral staircase leads to Renan’s study, a place of escape and reflection.

Perched under the eaves, this small room was originally the shipowner’s lookout post, from which he could monitor the tides and activity in the harbour.Unlike the street-facing façade, the courtyard-side elevation has remained unchanged. Tall windows punctuate this simple and elegant stone façade, dominated on the top floor by the slate-roofed watchtower, where the young Renan once lived.The courtyard opens onto a walled garden from which the rear façade can be admired. Adorned with a large fig tree and poplars in Renan’s day, the garden was restored in 2010 with the creation of a walking path around a central garden framed by boxwood hedges and the installation of a stage to host events.This site, which is state-owned, has been managed by the Centre des monuments nationaux since 2007. The organisation’s remit, as the project owner, is to ensure the conservation, restoration and maintenance of the monument under its responsibility, as well as its collections.