Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The 2 houses located on Rue Saint-Jacques in Villefranche-de-Conflent are among the oldest buildings in this medieval city of the Pyrénées-Orientales. Their origin dates back to the 13th century, as evidenced by two preserved windows and the remains of a crenelage on the façade. This, organized on three levels, reveals traces of subsequent changes, including a vertical cut evoking the location of an ancient merlon, a defensive element typical of the military architecture of the period.

The protection of these houses as a Historical Monument, which took place by arrest on 3 November 1965, specifically concerns lintel windows resting on crows, on the front of the street. These architectural elements, though modest, illustrate the civil construction techniques of the Middle Ages in an area marked by its strategic role at the borders of the Kingdom of France and the crown of Aragon. The precise location at 8 rue Saint-Jacques confirms their integration into the dense urban fabric of Villefranche, a fortified city whose history is closely linked to the defence of the southern borders.

Today, these houses are owned by the municipality and do not have an explicit tourist vocation (visit, rental or accommodation). Their interest lies primarily in their heritage value, offering a rare example of preserved medieval civilian habitat in an area where fortifications and religious buildings often dominate the historical landscape. The accuracy of their location, assessed as "passible" (note 5/10), highlights the limitations of the available data, although the official address and GPS coordinates allow them to be located with relative accuracy.

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