With its characteristic silhouette, this mid-15th century building called La Maison Mère Pourcel is located in the heart of Dinan.
With its imposing dimensions, this five-story house bears witness to the wealth of Dinan's merchants and the remarkable know-how of master carpenters at the end of the medieval period. The half-timbered structure, although functional, is original in its design. In contrast to the general plain exterior decoration, a small kneeling winged figure is carved on one of the corner posts, to the southeast of the house. Called “Saint-Dinan” by the Dinannais, it is in fact a representation of the Archangel Michael and its dresses are characteristic of fashion during the reign of the King of France Charles VII (1422-1461).
In February 2019, a dendrochronology study (tree belt) revealed a single construction period, with the woods coming from a single period of tree felling in the winter of 1457. The Pourcel Mother House was therefore built in spring 1458.
The origin of the name dates back to 1935, when Virginie Pourcel purchased a commercial lease from the City of Dinan in order to establish the “Café des porches”. After
necessary work, it opened in 1937. In December 1944 Jean Rosaz and his son
Jean-Claude took over and transformed the popular café into a gourmet restaurant
The medieval heritage of Dinan is exceptional but fragile Part of the city walls of Dinan collapsed in 2015, and now the fire of Mère Pourcel.
The fire of April 15, 2019 which struck Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral
triggered an unprecedented act of generosity on the part of the French and
lovers of heritage from around the world. The fire in Paris Cathedral revealed the
threat to our heritage. This is why the Heritage Foundation worked
for twenty years with owners, town halls and associations
protect the many buildings under threat throughout France. The City of Dinan will join the Heritage Foundation’s campaign entitled: “Never again!” ". A specific sponsorship campaign is launched for La Maison Mère Pourcel.
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