Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The house to the northwest of Church Square in Espirat is a 15th and 16th century civil building marked by its defensive history. Adjoined by the old court, it incorporates a 15th-century polygonal staircase turret, built on the site of a fortified gate with access to the fortress. This hexagonal turret, with cut strips, houses a staircase with screws and has an architectural characteristic: its west face supports, on the first floor, a small corbelled construction, supported by wooden beams.

The arched passage in full hanger, now partially modified, allowed originally to connect the Church's square within the fortified enclosure. Above this passage once existed a high structure, now extinct, of which remains like a Renaissance-style chimney. These elements attest to the changes in the building between the 15th and 16th centuries, reflecting the evolution of the defensive and residential needs of the period.

Classified as a Historical Monument by order of 12 July 1963 for its staircase turret (cadastre A 906), this house is now owned by the municipality of Espirat. Its present state retains traces of successive developments, including partial demolition of superstructures and the preservation of wood frame. The location, although documented (place de l'Église and 23 Rue des Marronniers), remains of an accuracy considered satisfactory a priori according to available sources.

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