Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The building of the Velay Verveine, located at Puy-en-Velay in the Haute-Loire department, was built in 1906 by the architect Ponot Achille Proy. It was designed to house a sales store on the ground floor, housing for owners, and a distillery at the back. Its strategic location, at the entrance of an unoccupied suburbs and at the border of the old ramparts, made it a crossing point between the roads of the south (Aubenas) and the north-east (Saint-Étienne). The façade, conceived as an advertising sign, reflects the commercial architecture of the era, where ornamentation focuses on the ironwork and sculptures of the frontons.

The most prominent element of the building is its turret surmounted by a zinc dome, garnished with stained glass windows created by Charles Borie. This dome, as well as the vitrail of the vestibule representing a young girl symbolizing vervain (in the Mucha style), were classified as historical monuments in 2004. Inside, a muffled canvas by Joseph Bernard, La Cueillette de la Verveine (1907), illustrates the local production with views of Puy-en-Velay in the background. The building, including this painting, was listed as historical monuments in 1995. The turret, accessible by a laminated wooden staircase, was initially illuminated by a network of bulbs highlighting the brand name.

The distillery of the Velay Verveine, founded in 1859, is at the origin of this building. The building thus embodies the industrial and commercial history of the region, combining architectural heritage and artisanal heritage. Its eclectic architecture, combining functionality and advertising decoration, makes it a unique testimony to the rise of local brands at the hinge of the 19th and 20th centuries. The successive protections (1995 and 2004) highlight its heritage value, both for its building and for its interior and exterior artistic elements.

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