Municipal and fire building of the old cemetery à Villefranche-de-Conflent dans les Pyrénées-Orientales

Timeline

Heritage classified

Origin and history

The communal building and the lights of the old cemetery of Villefranche-de-Conflent date mainly from the 13th and 18th centuries. This site, bounded by the church, the southern ramparts and a house to the north, preserves medieval architectural traces, such as fowls with 14th century oric mouldings. These elements suggest a covered gallery, or cloister, that once girded the cemetery, supported by crows still visible along the ramparts.

The south-west corner of the site reveals the beginning of a diagonal arch decorated with a capital with chevron or broken sticks, partially covered with mortar. This detail, together with the lined crows, confirms the existence of a frame supporting a sandstone. The communal building, adjacent to the west, features a floor on the ground floor and a moulure broken arch fire, typical of medieval funeral architecture.

Filed by order of 21 October 1965, this site belongs to the commune. Its present state, although partially altered, offers a rare testimony of funeral practices and religious planning in Conflict between the Middle Ages and the modern era. The localization, place of the Church, and the protected elements (Cadastre B 152) underline its integration into the historical fabric of Villefranche-de-Conflent.

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