Meet a French JEC member with a stunning home!

The Manoir of Kervereguen is located in France in Brittany, near Loctudy in south Finistère

It is the property of Hugues De Penfentemyo. Hugues is a JEC member of the region Pays de Loire & Bretagne and recently hosted one of the JEC regions in France for a visit shortly after the lockdown earlier this year.

The Manoir is charged with history because it has been built by a member of Hugues’ family in 1242. Yes, in 1242! The building took 30 years to be build and is one of the first houses made with stones in the Finistère and probably in the whole of Brittany. Prior to this period, the houses were built in wood. It is architecture of "passive defence" and is very simple. A closed square yard shared by the house of the owners and the farm. The manoir’s aim is to give protection to 3 grain-mills, a dove-cote,and very importantly, a chapel . The inside yard and the closed enclosure give also protection to all the families of the area against the assaults of robbers.

Some genealogy studies have confirmed that Kervereguen has been inhabited by the Hugues’ family, without a break for 8 centuries, with some less glorious periods included in that history!

Two important events have marked the recent history :

During the revolution the Hugues’ ancestor has saved the Manoir that the revolutionaries wanted to burn, by imposing himself by his authority and his glorious military previous success which prescribed respect.

During WW2 Kervereguen was the last stage of the way of the evacuation for the American and English pilots who went back to England with submarines waiting in the offing of Loctudy.

Manoir of Kervereguen is a beautiful token of the history of the Pays Bigouden region.

Jean Dannais enclosed some photos of his memories from this year below...