Hôtel de Kerret

As you step out of the basilica, look to your left at the Hôtel de Kerret. This elegant townhouse dates back to a period of rapid growth in Hennebont around the 1660s, when the parish was taking shape around the square and every prominent family seemed determined to claim its own little piece of paradise—quite literally, with Paradis Hill just nearby. Over the centuries, the house passed through the hands of some of the area’s leading families.

It first belonged to the Marquis de Pontcallec, then to the Pitouay family. In the 19th century, it was bought by the Kerret family, whose name it still carries today, before passing to the Eliot family in the 1970s. Now look up toward the roofline.

There’s a curious detail hiding in plain sight: the cornice is designed to imitate the defensive openings found on medieval castles, where defenders could drop projectiles onto attackers gathered below. Of course, this was never a fortress. It was a peaceful private residence in the middle of town.

But apparently, even a respectable townhouse could use a little military swagger when it came to impressing the neighbors. The Hôtel de Kerret was officially protected as a historic monument in May 1939, and just a few years later, it survived the devastating bombings of August 1944. That survival makes it one of Hennebont’s most valuable historic buildings today, preserving a rare glimpse into the world of the town’s elite under the Ancien Régime.