Timeline

Heritage classified

Origin and history

The house located at 37 Rue de la Grande-Gargouille in Briançon occupies an almost square plot in angle, with an irregular inner courtyard. Its structure consists of three facade spans, two commercial spaces on the ground floor surrounding the entrance, and a double organization in depth. Notable architectural elements include vaults of ridges in the basement and on the ground floor, an inclined cradle staircase based on ground cords, and windows in the heart separated by pillars or columns. The French ceilings, masked by plasters, as well as the harp corner links on both facades, testify to a careful construction.

The main façade, ordered, features a central door in the middle of a manerist span surmounted by an edicle decorated with volutes. This edicle, crowned with a broken pediment, houses a niche with a statue (probably of the Virgin) framed by two angels sitting. A coat of arms appears on the base of the statue. The upper floors have ground-shape bays on O-rings, while the fourth level has two-metre wide windows in the middle, visible from the inside. The left side façade, without a door, has five levels with irregular spans, with rectangular windows and O-rings on each floor.

Only the monumental gate (including the passageways) and the sculpted window that surmounts it are protected under the Historical Monuments since a decree of 3 June 1932. This partial protection underlines the artistic importance of these elements, typical of Alpine civil architecture from the 17th to 18th centuries. The location of the building, in the historic centre of Briançon, reinforces its heritage interest in an urban context marked by mannerist and baroque influences.

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