The Cours de la Bôve

In 1775, the Intendant of Brittany, Caze de la Bôves converted an old square into a planted promenade with a fountain. It stretches from the church of Saint-Louis (gone today and replaced by the residence Plein Ciel) to the quai des Indes. These architectural features appeared at the same time as a new population in Lorient, the merchant bourgeoisie. The construction of an Italianate theatre at the end of the promenade marked the apogee of their influence on public life. The carved stone building from the end of the 19th century at the corner of the cours de la Bôve and the rue du Port has all the characteristics of the Haussmann style used in Paris in the 1850-1860s, with three storeys of decreasing height.