Initial construction 4e quart XVe siècle - 1er quart XVIe siècle (≈ 1587)
Period of construction of the architectural complex.
24 décembre 1957
Historical Monument
Historical Monument 24 décembre 1957 (≈ 1957)
Registration of the stack as MH.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Stone fireplace on the first floor (Box K 208): inscription by order of 24 December 1957
Key figures
Viguier temporel (non nommé) - Representative of the Archbishop of Narbonne
Presumably occupying the residence.
Dignitaire du chapitre collégial (non nommé) - Probable member of the religious institution
Other potential occupant of the premises.
Origin and history
The Balat House, located in Capestang, Herault, is part of an architectural complex including the Baisse House. These two buildings, built between the 4th quarter of the 15th century and the 1st quarter of the 16th century, seem to have originally formed a single residence. Their alignment, similar ceilings and chimneys of the same period suggest an initial unit. This ensemble could have been used as a residence for a dignitary linked to the Archbishop of Narbonne, Lord of Capestang, perhaps his temporal viguier or a member of the collegiate chapter. Unlike the Baisse house, the ceilings of the Balat house do not retain any original decorative paint, but its fireplace has a rich decoration in flamboyant style.
The fireplace of the Balat house, classified as a Historical Monument by order of 24 December 1957, is a masterpiece of late Gothic art. Its leggings are decorated with cavet moulded columns, with intersected bases, while the hood has a central pattern composed of arches, bellows and intertwined specks. An empty shield sits at the centre of this composition, surmounted by mutilated remains of winged angel heads. These decorative elements, typical of the flamboyant style, bear witness to the prestige of its former occupants, probably linked to the local ecclesiastical or seigneurial authority.
The exact address of the Balat house is the 19 Rue Louis Baste in Capestang, in the department of the Hérault. Although its location is considered "passable" (note of 5/10), this monument remains a major architectural testimony of the transition period between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance in Occitanie. Its state of conservation and its current accessibility are not specified in the available sources, but its listing as Historic Monuments makes it a protected and studied heritage.
