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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Roucaudou Manor House, located in the Eyzies in New Aquitaine, is a historic monument built between the 15th and 16th centuries. Originally, it was located in a rectangle bounded to the east by a rocky slope and to the west by a body of houses flanked by a defensive wall. Two scalds and a large tower reinforced the defensive system, while a doorway, now modified in the seventeenth century, allowed entry into the inner courtyard under the protection of the upper defences. The staircase tower, located to the north, still retains its round path, and a corbelled turret, supported by a cap, marks the corner between this tower and the main building.

The east façade of the house was equipped with two scauguettes of an angle, and a small tower at the southwest corner completed the defences, as evidenced by the still visible wall pull-outs. The front door, adorned with two archvolts full of hangers surmounted by a braid, reflects the architecture of the era. The vaulted ground floor, now transformed into a cellar, was accessible by a later pierced opening. The facades and roofs of the manor house were inscribed in the Historical Monuments by order of 24 May 1974, stressing its heritage importance.

The mansion illustrates the evolution of defensive constructions towards more comfortable residences, typical of the transition period between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Its space organization, combining military and living elements, reflects the security and prestige concerns of the owners of the time. The presence of towers, scalables and thick walls recalls the need for protection in an area marked by conflicts, while integrating more refined architectural elements, such as carved archvolts.

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