Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The house of the lawyer of the poor is an emblematic civil building of Nîmes, built in the 4th quarter of the 15th century. It has been classified as a historic monument since 2003 and is distinguished by its medieval bourgeois architecture, which includes two separate buildings that were later assembled. Located at 16 rue Fresque, it has facades on Rue de l'Étoile and Rue Louis Raoul. Its medieval organization, with a spiral staircase and 15th century cushions, bears witness to its age, despite modifications in the 17th and 18th centuries.

The foundation of the Avocatery of the Poor, established in 1460 by the bequest of Louis Raoul, a baccalaureate ès-lois, had as its mission to house a lawyer charged with defending the poor, widows and orphans free of charge in the courts of the Nîmes. The first holder, Rolland Capon, lived there from 1484, and this institution lasted until the beginning of the 20th century. The house retained this charitable vocation for nearly 500 years, before the office was taken over by the Bar Association of Nîmes after 2004.

The building illustrates medieval social commitment and architectural evolution, with original elements such as its passage to a well of light and its entry into a basket handle. The reparations of the 19th and 20th centuries did not alter its fundamental structure, thus preserving a unique heritage linked to the judicial and humanitarian history of Nîmes.

Ranking as a historic monument in 2003 has protected this historic site, a symbol of solidarity and accessible justice. Today, the house remains a rare testimony of medieval charitable institutions and their sustainability throughout the centuries.

External links