Hôtel de Blossac

Hôtel de Blossac

Facade of the hotel, side garden
Coordinates	48°06′41″N 1°40′56″W / 48.1114611°N 1.682125°W / 48.1114611; -1.682125
Location	Rennes, hisctoric center
Designer	probably Jacques V Gabriel
Type	private hôtel particulier, apartments, now office of the direction régionale des Affaires culturelles.
Beginning date	1728
Opening date
Restored date
Monument historique since 1947.

The Hôtel de Blossac is an 18th-century hôtel particulier in the historic center of Rennes, Brittany.

The building, which has two main wings, was constructed in 1728. (A fire in 1720 had destroyed much of the city of Rennes.) The architect is said to have been Jacques Gabriel. The building has a unique classical architecture for Brittany, including its size, the assembly of several architectural components, and its grand staircase.

Property of the La Bourdonnaye family, earls of Blossac, for nearly two centuries, it was leased by the city as the residence of the commander in chief of the province of Brittany, with a pomp reminiscent of the court of France. At the French Revolution, it was divided into apartments and became a residential building, where the author Paul Féval was born.

The building was designated as a historic monument in 1947, and underwent a complete exterior restoration spread over three decades, while the apartments give way to offices. It has been wholly owned by the state since 1982 and houses, in refurbished and restored rooms, the Direction régionale des affaires culturelles (DRAC, Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs of Brittany) and in service quarters, the service territorial de l’architecture et du patrimoine (Territorial Service of architecture and heritage of Ille-et-Vilaine).

The hôtel de Blossac is located in the northwest in the secteur sauvegardé (protected area) of the historic city center. Its address and the main entrance, a porch, are at 6, rue du Chapitre. It is surrounded by rue de Montfort Street (at the east) and on the rue Saint-Sauveur (at the north). Two doors, one condemned and the other for use by staff, are arranged in the garden wall. The western part (hôtel and service yard) is adjacent to other buildings or courses leading to deprivation. The hôtel garden offers views of Blossac the south side of the basilica of the Saint Sauveur, whereas since the floors of the hôtel it is possible to see, at the west, the nearby Rennes Cathedral.