Construction of the house 4e quart XVe siècle (≈ 1587)
Period of realization of the painted ceiling.
13 février 2012
Registration Historic Monument
Registration Historic Monument 13 février 2012 (≈ 2012)
Total house protection and ceiling.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The old house in its entirety, including its painted ceiling (Box K 404): inscription by order of 13 February 2012
Origin and history
The old house called market café, located in Puisserguier, is a monument of the 4th quarter of the 15th century, classified historical monument. Its interest lies mainly in its "French" painted ceiling, a structure composed of decorated beams, flooring and enclosures. These laths, decorated with high-quality painted scenes, illustrate a major artistic evolution: the emergence of expressive portraits, replacing the stereotyped faces of the medieval era. Three beams still retain their original decoration, each with a dozen painted enclosures.
This ceiling is a rare testimony of society of the late 15th century, revealing increasing access to decorative arts in bourgeois or urban homes. The scenes represented, although not detailed in the sources, probably reflect common themes of the era (daily life, allegories, or religious accounts), while marking a transition to a more naturalistic art.
The building was entered in the inventory of Historic Monuments by order of 13 February 2012, including the entire house and its painted ceiling. Owned by the commune of Puisserguier, it is located in Place de l'Eglise (approximate address: 8 Rue du Presbytère), in the department of l'Herault. However, its exact location remains unclear (level 5/10 depending on the sources), without clear indication of its current accessibility to the public.
The building illustrates the civil architecture of the late Middle Ages in Languedoc, where urban and peri-urban homes gradually incorporated sophisticated decorative elements. These decorations, once reserved for elites, were then democratized among the affluent classes of small cities, such as Puisserguier, reflecting a period of relative prosperity before the upheavals of the Renaissance.
No information is available on original sponsors, artists who made the paintings, or on the precise uses of the house before it was transformed into "market coffee". The sources focus on the heritage value of the ceiling, without mentioning other notable architectural elements (faces, openings, etc.).
